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Form  No.  471 


When  the  Cock  Crows 


He  bore  her  with  uhat  haste  he  could  to  the  landing  and  gently  placed  her 

within  the  blankets. 


When  the  Cock  Crows 


BY 

WALDRON  BAILY 

Author  of  "  Heart  of  the  Blue  Ridge,'* 
*«  The  Homeward  Trail,*'  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED  BY 

G.  W.  GAGE 


NEW  YORK 

BEDFORD  PUBLISHING  CQ 

1918 


Cop3TigIit  1918,  by 
BEDFORD  PUBLISHING  CO. 


PRiss  or 

BRAUNWORTH   Ik   CO. 

■OOK   MANUFACTURCRfl 

BROOKLYN.    N.    V. 


TO 

Hon*  ^cstpl^ns  Pattiela 

As  a  token  of  the  author's  admiration  and  re- 
spect, for  one  who  in  the  greatest  crisis  in 
history  has  demonstrated  to  the  public 
those  quahties  of  courage,  determina- 
tion and  achievement  that  his 
friends  have   always 
known   him  to 
possess. 


to 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Ichabod's  Island 9 

II.  Among  the  Breakers 19 

III.  A  New  Calamity 31 

IV.  Under  the  After  Awning 38 

V.  A  Prisoner  of  Morphia 49 

VI.  Hunting  a  Clue 64 

VII.  Stormbound 77 

VIII.  The  Efficiency  of  Clam-Broth    87 

IX.  Once  in  a  Lifetime 100 

X.  Eyes  from  the  Deep. 108 

XI.  The  Awakening  of  Ichabod.  .   127 
XII.  Toward  the  Unknown r  140 

XIII.  Among  the  Fisherfolk 151 

XIV.  Garnet  the  Hero 168 

XV.  Adrift  with  a  Madman 180 

XVI.  The  Coming-out  Party 191 

XVII.  Strangers  at  Ichabod' s  Island  203 

XVIII.  The  Call  of  the  Dark 215 

7 


8  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XIX.  Bottled  Up 228 

XX.  The  Truth  Unalloyed 234 

XXI.  Sealed  Orders 249 

XXII.  The  Parting  Crow 261 

XXIII.  The  Search  up  the  Shore...  2^2 

XXIV.  A  Gentleman's  Promise 284 

XXV.  Doing  his  Bit \ 291 


WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 


CHAPTER  I 
Ichabod's  Island 

THE  tide  was  at  ebb.  The  noisily  rush- 
ing spume-spotted  waters  of  the  sea 
were  pounding  the  hard-sand  shore 
of  the  easterly  side  of  a  beautifiil  island,  nest- 
ling as  a  jewel  in  its  setting  just  within  the 
Capes,  which  form  the  shores  on  either  side 
of  Beaufort  Inlet,  but  so  exposed  that  when 
the  winds  blow  from  the  sea  the  full  force 
of  the  breakers  is  felt  at  this  point.  As  this 
small  bit  of  land  is  low-lying,  more  than 
once  when  a  southeaster  has  raged,  the  tiny 
isle  has  become  entirely  submerged. 

Man  has  placed  but  one  habitation  upon 
this  toy  of  the  great  waters,  and  that  a  fisher- 
man's shack,  surrounded  with  the  usual  net- 
drying  racks  and  other  crude  tools  of  the 

9 


10  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

fisherfolk.  One  would  rightly  guess  that  the 
occupant  of  an  abode  built  upon  such  a  tiny 
bit  of  old  mother  earth  must  be  a  hardy  cus- 
tomer, who  imderstood  the  ways  of  the  winds 
and  sea  and  who  dared  combat  them. 

It  is  sunrise.  The  door  of  the  hut  swings 
on  its  heavy  hinges.  A  sturdy-looking  old 
fellow  with  grizzled  beard  and  flowing  locks 
steps  out  of  the  shack,  and,  as  has  been  his 
wont  for  years,  he  scans  the  horizon  for  a  sail 
or  perchance  for  other  more  modem  craft  of 
the  sea. 

In  his  arms,  he  is  tenderly  carrying  a  large 
Dominick  rooster,  which,  judging  from  his 
length  of  spurs,  and  scaly  legs,  has  lingered 
many  summers.  Satisfying  himself  that  there 
is  no  boat  in  sight,  to  break  the  monotony 
of  the  view.  Captain  Ichabod  places  his  only 
living  companion — as  he  expresses  it,  his 
poultry  alarm  clock — upon  the  ground,  and 
from  a  pocket  produces  a  handful  of  com, 
which  the  old  cock  greedily  devours. 

These  two  have  been  companions  for  a  long 
time.  Captain  Ichabod  found  him  one  morn- 
ing perched  upon  the  top  of  a  floating  crate, 
washed  from  the  deck  of  a  schooner  that  had 


ICHABOD'S  ISLAND  11 

gone  upon  the  beach  in  a  booming  southeaster. 
The  Captain  had  proved  a  Hfe-saver  indeed 
to  the  proud  old  bird.  Ichabod,  when  he 
first  spied  Shrimp,  as  he  afterward  named  this 
bit  of  flotsam,  was  wildly  anxious  to  save 
the  creature  so  it  might  have  a  life  on  shore 
suited  to  its  nature  and  desires.  Then  it 
flashed  upon  him  that  his  antiquated  and  well- 
worn  alarm  clock  had  ceased  to  work.  It 
occurred  to  him  that  the  rooster*s  crowing 
would  suflice  to  advise  him  of  the  hour,  and 
that  there  would  be  no  need  to  buy  another 
clock. 

The  Captain  was  a  woman-hater.  This 
fact  accounted  for  his  choosing  to  live  as  a 
hermit  on  the  bit  of  sand,  which  he  had 
grown  to  love.  But  that  loneliness  was  a 
trial  to  Shrimp,  who  naturally  desired  a 
harem  of  his  own.  Many  times,  when  the 
wind  was  from  the  mainland,  Captain  Icha- 
bod had  heard  the  far-away  crow  of  a  barn- 
yard fowl,  and  had  gravely  and  criticizingly 
listened  as  Shrimp  returned  the  salute  in 
lusty  manner.  He  had  seen  the  bird  swell 
in  rage,  and  his  comb  turn  red  in  jealous 
envy  of  the  other  rooster  on  the  mainland.    ; 


n  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

Captain  Ichabod  had  now  come  to  busying 
himself  with  fishing  by  hook  and  line  for  blue 
fish  and  sheepshead.  In  addition  he  set  a 
line  of  gill  nets  in  the  cove  for  mullet  or  any 
other  fish  that  might  become  entangled  within 
their  meshes.  On  all  his  excursions  Shrimp 
accompanied  his  master.  He  would  perch 
himself  proudly  upon  the  centerboard  box. 
More  than  once,  before  becoming  a  seasoned 
sailor,  he  had  failed  to  dodge  the  boom  to 
which  the  little  leg  o*  mutton  sail  was  at- 
tached, and  had  been  knocked  from  his 
perch  when  Uncle  Ichabod  for  a  joke  let 
the  boat  jibe  in  a  flaw  of  the  wind.  But 
Shrimp  learned.  He  learned  to  dodge  the 
boom.  He  became,  imder  stress  of  circum- 
stances, an  expert  sailor — and  was  never  sea- 
sick. 

When  Shrimp  had  finished  his  meal,  Ich- 
abod addressed  the  mangy-looking  bird  very 
gravely: 

"Shrimp,  thar  hain't  nary  sail  nor  steamer 
smoke  in  sight  off  the  Capes  and  I  'low  thar 
has  a  dozen  skippers  seen  that-thar  same 
mare's  tail  as  did  I  last  night,  and  has  had 
the  good  common  sense  to  haul  to  in  the 


ICHABOD'S  ISLAND  13 

hook  o*  the  Cape  ter  ride  out  the  blow  that  is 
sure  ter  come.  May  the  sarpants  o'  Davy 
Jones'  have  mercy  on  him  or  her  as  don*t 
take  kiwer;  me  an'  you,  rooster,  '11  have  ter 
do  our  hook  an'  linin'  in  the  Spar  Channel  on 
this  ebb  fer  so  soon  as  she  hauls  a  leetle  more 
to  the  south 'ard  thar  is  goin'  ter  be  hell 
kicked  up  in  the  Inlet  an'  me  and  yo',  ole 
feathers  an'  comb,  had  better  do  our  anglin' 
clost  enough  that  we  can  shoot  inter  this 
home  harbor  without  loosin'  o'  our  rag." 

Captain  Ichabod  busied  himself  with  get- 
ting his  leads  and  lines  in  shape.  He  cut  up 
a  half-dozen  mullets  for  bait.  Then  he  picked 
up  the  mast,  around  which  was  wrapped  a 
patchwork  of  canvas,  very  snugly.  It  felt 
at  home  there  for  it  had  been  thus  rolled 
arotmd  the  mast  time  and  again  through  many 
years.  Captain  Ichabod  now  walked  to  the 
red  skiff.  At  his  heels  Shrimp  stalked  with 
great  dignity.  The  Captain  stepped  the 
mast,  arranged  the  halyards,  and  pushed  off. 
The  sail  caught  the  wind  and  Captain  Ich- 
abod at  the  tiller  was  off  for  the  Spar  Channel 
fishing  grounds. 

When    he    had    arrived    and    thrown    his 


14  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

anchor  overboard,  the  Captain  addressed 
Shrimp  with  much  solemnity. 

"Shrimp,  ye  air  a  heap  o*  company  to  the 
ole  man,  but  ye  wa'n*t  built  by  God  A'mighty 
fer  a  sailin'  mate,  all  he  fixed  ye  fer  was  to 
peck  an'  scratch  an'  fight — oh,  yes,  an'  I 
like  ter  forgot  the  crow." 

Then  nonchalantly  he  remarked : 

"An'  thar  would  be  a  heap  more  peace  in 
the  world  to-day  if  he  had  o'  built  all  kinds  o' 
Hens  without  thar  tarnation  cackle," . 

When  Captain  Icky  mentioned  the  word 
cackle  he  thought  he  could  detect  a  dejected 
look  upon  the  coimtenance  of  his  feathered 
friend,  and  in  a  sympathetic  voice  to  ease  the 
rooster's  feelings,  said: 

"Wall,  rooster,  I  must  say  that  yo'r  women 
folks  was  made  with  the  only  kind  of  cackle 
that  has  done  men  folks  any  good,  but  gosh 
darned  if  it  hain't  a  right-smart  bit  since  I's 
et  an  aig!" 

Then,  having  thus  relieved  himself,  Ich- 
abod  tossed  his  heavily  sinkered  lines  into  the 
swift  tide.  The  fish  were  hungry,  and  he 
was  kept  busy  hauling  them  in. 

The  swell  began  to  increase.     The  small 


ICHABOD'S  ISLAND  15 

craft  began  to  rock  uncomfortably.  The 
Sim  was  hidden  by  a  red  cloud  that  banked 
in  the  eastern  sky.  Captain  Ichabod  knew 
the  signs.  He  pulled  in  his  line  and  hooks, 
made  sail,  and  beat  across  to  the  point  where 
nestled  the  life-saving  station.  There  he 
wotild  read  the  barometer,  have  a  chat  and 
a  meal  with  the  men,  and  afterward  make  a 
qiiick  nm  home  before  the  wind. 

At  the  life-saving  station,  he  found  the 
barometer  indicated  storm,  as  he  had  feared. 

After  a  hearty  dinner,  and  a  pipe  with  yams, 
Captain  Ichabod  set  sail  for  the  Island,  and 
made  it  safely,  in  spite  of  the  rising  storm. 

The  Captain  realized  that  a  gale  was 
brewing.  He  gathered  up  his  nets  from  their 
racks.  He  made  them  snug  in  the  shack, 
and  stowed  away  everything  movable.  He 
was  weather-wise.  He  would  not  be  caught 
unawares.  A  high  tide  had  more  than  once 
taught  him  the  lesson  of  that  beach.  He  had 
the  red  skiff  hauled  well  up  out  of  harm's  way. 
There  was,  too,  an  extra  anchor  tied  to  the 
painter.  Captain  Ichabod  and  the  rooster 
entered  their  cottage,  for  refuge  from  the 
wind  that  was  now  blowing  dangerously. 


16  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

The  storm  reached  such  proportions  that 
from  his  window  to  seaward  it  was  no  longer 
possible  to  make  out  through  the  rain  and 
spray  the  broad  crepe-like  bands  of  black  and 
white  painted  upon  the  great,  towering  light- 
house, at  the  extreme  point  of  Cape  Lookout, 
a  few  miles  to  the  eastward.  The  shack  was 
fairly  shaking  in  the  West  India  hurricane — 
for  such  it  proved  to  be.  .  .  .  And  great 
was  the  devastation  wrought  that  night  by 
both  wind  and  wave. 

About  midnight,  Captain  Ichabod,  feeling 
that  it  was  not  quite  safe  to  retire,  stood  in 
the  open  doorway.  He  little  minded  the 
pelting  of  the  rain  as  it  drove  against  his 
weathered  cheek.  He  had  donned  his  oil- 
skins, hat  and  slicker,  and  was  peering  in- 
tently seaward.  He  had  been  to  his  skiff 
and  had  dragged  it  a  couple  of  rods  further 
up  on  the  sand  as  a  measure  of  safety.  A 
yellow  flash  showed  dimly  on  the  black  storm 
clouds  that  banked  the  horizon  to  the  north 
of  the  Cape — ^wherein  nestled  a  tiny  harbor 
of  refuge.  Those  who  knew  took  advantage 
of  this  retreat  in  times  of  tempest.  .  .  .  Wo 
imto  the  hapless  seafarer,  unknowing  the  way. 


ICHABOD'S  ISLAND  17 

It  did  not  take  a  second  flash  for  the  prac- 
tised eye  of  the  lone  man  in  oilskins  to  recog- 
nize that  this  was  the  thing  he  had  expected — 
even  while  praying  God  that  it  might  not  be. 
It  was  the  rocket  signal  of  a  boat  in  distress. 
Within  sound  of  the  breakers,  that  coiild 
not  be  seen  in  the  pitch  black,  was  some- 
where a  mass  of  timber  and  iron,  burdened 
with  cargo  and  human  freight.  And  that 
mass,  which  was  a  ship,  dragged  its  anchor, 
as  if  that  anchor  were  a  toy — foot  by  foot 
to  sure  destruction  on  a  beach  that  has 
known  a  hundred  wrecks. 

The  rockets  continued  to  flare.  Closer 
and  closer  to  the  outer  shoals  of  the  beach 
they  beamed.  The  ship  was  swiftly  and 
surely  going  to  its  doom. 

Turning  his  face  to  the  clouded  heavens, 
and  raising  his  voice  in  a  final  appeal,  Uncle 
Ichabod  prayed: 

"God  help  the  boys  in  such  a  surf." 

At  the  point  where  the  ship  was  making 
the  distress  signals,  the  coast  offered  only  a 
narrow  strip  of  sand,  running  from  the  Cape  to 
Ocracoke  Inlet — many  miles  to  the  northeast. 

The  old  fisherman's  face  was  ashen.     There 


18  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

was  nothing  that  he  could  do  except  stand 
and  helplessly  watch  the  final  disaster.  He 
realized  that  the  craft  was  doomed.  He  was 
powerless  to  interfere,  although  in  despair 
over  this  catastrophe  before  his  very  eyes. 
He  turned  away,  and  entered  his  little  house, 
and  tried  to  sleep.  But  he  was  wakeful, 
and  found  himself  murmuring  prayers  for 
those  who  went  down  to  the  sea  in  ships. 


CHAPTER  II 
Among  the  Breakers 

ORDINARILY,  Captain  Ichabod  Jones 
enjoyed  being  crooned  to  sleep  by 
the  weird  sounds  of  the  winds  as 
they  beat  about  the  comers  of  his  cottage. 
Now,  his  mind  was  filled  with  a  memory  of 
last  frantic  cries  uttered  by  men,  women  and 
children  as  their  clinging  hold  was  loosed 
from  the  derelict,  the  sturdy  frame  of  which 
he  had  heard  strike  on  the  rocks,  as  she  went 
to  her  grave  in  the  sea.  Now,  he  heard  the 
clamors  of  despair,  voiced  in  the  shrieking  of 
the  gale.  He  tossed  uneasily  upon  his  bed, 
offering  ever  and  anon  a  prayer  to  the  God 
that  rules  mad  waters  to  have  mercy  upon 
those  even  then  fighting  a  last  grim  battle 
with  death. 

The  first  gray  gleam  of  dawn  showed  a 
tinge  of  storm  red,  radiant  and  calm  above 
the  wildly  tossing  surges  of  the  sea. 

19 


«0  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

Uncle  Icky  got  out  of  his  bunk,  built  a 
fire  in  the  stove  and  set  his  coffee  to  boil. 
Then,  of  a  sudden,  he  forgot  his  preparations 
for  breakfast.  His  sharp  ears  had  caught 
the  far-away  chug-chug  of  a  naphtha-driven 
craft.  He  listened,  and  knew  that  the  boat 
was  making  its  way  toward  the  Island. 

''  Well,  I'll  be  blowed,''  said  the  Captain  to 
himself — and  the  rooster.  What  fool  skipper 
would  come  down  this  shore,  even  on  the 
inside,  in  such  a  kick-up  as  is  goin'  on?  He 
shore  must  be  plimib  daffy,  or  arter  an  M.D. 
for  a  mighty  sick  himian.  Til  try  an'  hail 
him  as  he  passes;  but  the  Lord  knows  he 
can't  pass  to  the  wind'ard  o'  this-here  Island 
till  she  ca'ms  a  heap,  an'  if  he  tries  to  go  to 
lee'ard  he'll  shore  as  shootin'  take  up  on  the 
oyster  rocks,  an'  stove  her  through  to  her 
vitals." 

Captain  Ichabod  was  right.  No  land  lub- 
ber, imacquainted  with  the  dangerous  cur- 
rents and  powerful  surf  breaking  over  the 
bar  at  the  Inlet,  could  pilot  a  craft  safely 
past  the  little  Island  in  good  weather — let 
alone  the  doing  of  it  in  this  tail-end  of  a  gale. 
Uncle  Icky  rushed  from  the  cottage,  lantern 


AMONG  THE  BREAKERS  21 

in  hand.  He  tried  to  wave  a  warning  to  the 
foolhardy  adventurer  who  was  thus  darting 
down  at  breakneck  speed  on  the  mill-race  of 
the  ebb  tide  to  certain  destruction. 

Captain  Ichabod  ran  with  his  lantern  to 
the  far  point  of  land,  and  waved  it  frantically 
in  warning.  The  wind-driven  spray  of  the 
surf  soaked  and  chilled  him  to  the  bone.  But 
he  swung  his  light  in  desperate  earnestness, 
though  his  efforts  seemed  of  no  avail,  for  the 
launch  swept  on  toward  its  doom.  Ichabod 
now  could  see  that  it  was  a  palatial  yacht, 
of  trim  build,  with  a  prow  that  cut  the  waves 
like  a  razor.  But,  too,  he  knew  that,  after 
rounding  the  point,  the  tiny  vessel  would 
meet  the  full  fury  of  the  sea,  and  must  be 
destroyed. 

Day  broke.  In  the  increased  light,  the  old 
man  cast  his  lantern  aside  as  useless  and  swung 
his  arms  as  a  semaphore.  The  yacht,  buf- 
feted by  the  timibling  seas,  swept  within 
hailing  distance.  Captain  Ichabod  yelled  to 
the  man  who  was  at  the  tiller  to  keep  her  off. 
In  answer,  there  came  three  shrill,  pitifully 
wavering  blasts  of  the  whistle — a  salute  that 
was  derisive,  the  absurd  response  of  a  mad- 


22  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

man.  And  the  man  at  the  wheel  waved  his 
hand  in  pleasant  salutation  and  grinned  in  a 
most  amiable  manner.  Captain  Ichabod 
stared  aghast.  Then,  he  realized  that  the 
man  at  the  helm  must  be  a  maniac. 

The  yacht  was  in  the  breakers.  The  first 
wave  spilled  clear  over  her.  Ichabod,  watch- 
ing from  the  shore,  shuddered.  He  believed 
her  already  lost  in  the  coil  of  waters.  But, 
to  the  Captain's  amazement,  the  yacht  eddied 
and  tossed,  dived  and  floated  again.  Then, 
at  last,  it  was  swept  on  the  rocks.  The  hull 
broke  in  two  under  the  impact,  and  the  racing 
waves  swept  over  the  wreck. 

Out  of  the  ruin  of  the  yacht,  the  surge  bore 
a  mattress,  on  which  rested  the  seemingly 
lifeless  body  of  a  beautiful  yoimg  woman. 
Captain  Ichabod  saw  the  strange  raft  sweep 
toward  the  strand.  He  rushed  to  seize  it, 
and  pulled  it  beyond  the  power  of  the  tide 
to  snatch  it  back  into  the  maw  of  the  ocean. 
Thereafter,  he  worked  over  the  girl  to  save 
her  from  death  by  drowning. 

It  was  a  long  time  before  she  showed  signs 
of  life.  But,  after  a  time,  the  breast  began 
to  rise  and  fall  in  the  perfect  rhythm  of 


AMONG  THE  BREAKERS  23 

health.  Captain  Ichabod,  wild  with  anxiety, 
could  hear  the  breathing  of  this  woman  whom 
he  had  saved  from  the  sea.  He  was  glad. 
He  stood  working  over  her  in  desperate 
haste.  And  then,  presently,  the  lashes  of 
the  girl  unclosed,  and  she  stared  wonderingly 
into  the  face  of  this  old  man,  who  stood  over 
her  with  so  much  tenderness  in  his  expression. 

The  girl,  suddenly  arousing  to  consciousness, 
spoke  anxiously: 

"Doctor,  tell  me,  where  am  I?'* 

Ichabod  felt  himself  embarrassed.  He  spoke 
emphatically. 

"No,  Miss,  I  hain't  no  doctor — that  is, 
I  hain't  no  medical  M.D.,  but  folks  says  I'm 
a  right  smart  o'  a  water  doctor  fer  fever  an' 
sich,  but  in  yo'r  case,  I's  a-takin'  o'  the  water 
out  instead  o'  puttin'  it  in  or  rubbin'  it  on, 
an'  you  lacks  a  heap  o'  havin'  a  fever,  but 
arter  I  gits  ye  ter  the  shack  I'll  warm  up  yer 
little  cold  frame  an'  vitals  with  a  swig  o' 
brandy.  That  is,  if  ye  has  come  to  'nough 
ter  swaller," 

The  young  woman  was  now  breathing  nor- 
mally. The  Captain  raised  her  in  his  arms 
and  bore  her  to  the  shack — ^across  the  thresh- 


24  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

old  of  which  hitherto  no  woman*s  foot  had 
stepped.  The  room  was  warm  with  the  heat 
from  the  cook-stove,  which  had  been  left  with 
the  drafts  open.  He  laid  the  girl  on  his  bed, 
and  then  brought  to  her  a  glass  of  old  brandy, 
salvaged  years  before  from  a  wreck,  and  held 
intact  by  him  during  all  this  time  as  if  for 
just  such  an  emergency. 

It  was  with  difficulty  that  he  aroused  the 
victim  of  the  wreck  sufficiently  to  swallow 
the  liquor,  but  in  the  end  he  was  successful, 
Then  he  removed  her  outer  garments,  and 
wrapped  her  in  woolen  blankets. 

Yet,  even  after  it  was  plain  that  the  heart 
was  working  normally  once  again,  since  there 
was  a  delicate  flush  showing  in  the  girl's 
cheeks,  the  Captain  was  puzzled  by  the  mental 
vagueness.  She  did  not  show  any  revival 
of  intelligence,  although  she  seemed  to  recover 
all  her  physical  powers.  He  came  to  believe 
that  she  must  have  been  injured  on  the  head, 
by  a  blow  from  some  bit  of  wreckage.  But, 
though  he  went  over  her  skull  with  deft  fin- 
gers, he  could  find  no  trace  of  a  bruise.  He 
finally  decided  that  her  mental  condition 
must  be  merely  the  resxilt  of  the  strain  under- 


AMONG  THE  BREAKERS  25 

gone  by  her,  and  that  it  would  be  remedied 
by  an  interval  of  sleep.  So,  he  tucked  the 
blankets  snugly  about. her,  and  then  left  her 
alone,  that  he  might  see  what  could  be  done 
toward  bringing  the  marooned  skipper  from 
his  perilous  place  on  the  wrecked  boat. 

While  Captain  Ichabod  was  busy  with  the 
rescue  of  the  girl,  there  had  come  a  lull  in 
the  storm.  The  wind  had  hauled  aroimd  to 
the  southwest,  and  was  now  blowing  a  stiff 
breeze  off  shore,  which,  taken  together  with 
the  fast-running  tide  still  on  the  ebb,  had 
caused  the  seas  to  lessen  in  the  Inlet.  Under 
these  improved  conditions,  the  Captain  de- 
cided to  make  a  try  at  relieving  the  casta- 
way from  his  sorry  plight. 

He  launched  the  red  skiff,  and  set  out  to 
row  toward  the  wreck.  He  was  encouraged 
in  the  difficult  task  by  the  frantic  gestures 
with  which  the  victim  of  the  storm  called  for 
succor.  Captain  Ichabod  reflected  grimly 
that  this  fellow  who  had  disregarded  his 
warnings  must  be  plainly  a  maniac.  Yet  he 
was  sufficiently  sane  to  have  a  normal  desire 
to  be  saved  from  death.  He  guessed  that 
perhaps  the  yachtsman  had  been  temporarily 


26  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

unbalanced  in  his  mind  when  in  the  grip  of 
the  raging  waters — then,  afterward,  had  re- 
gained his  self-control,  and  with  it  a  whole- 
some desire  to  live. 

Captain  Ichabod  managed  to  bring  the 
skiff  up  under  the  lee  of  the  wreck.  He  threw 
a  rope  to  the  man,  and  bade  him  make  it  fast. 
The  order  was  obeyed.  Ichabod  then  di- 
rected the  yachtsman  to  collect  his  valuables 
and  come  aboard  the  skiff.  The  castaway 
lost  no  time  in  obeying.  Presently,  carrying 
a  small  black  bag,  he  seated  himself  in  the 
skiff,  and  Ichabod  turned  the  boat's  nose 
toward  the  shore,  and  bent  to  the  oars,  in 
haste  to  get  back  to  his  patient,  and  so  to 
complete  his  list  of  rescues  for  that  eventful 
day. 

During  the  short  interval  of  time  consimied 
in  going  from  the  wreck  to  the  Island,  the 
stranger  made  anxious  inquiries  as  to  the 
fate  of  the  girl.  He  had  thought  that  she 
was  dead.  When  he  heard  from  Captain 
Ichabod  that  the  girl  still  lived  he  was  obvi- 
ously startled  and  surprised,  but,  too,  he 
showed  every  symptom  of  intense  pleasure. 
He  displayed  anxiety  as  to  what  the  girl  might 


AMONG  THE  BREAKERS  27 

have  said.  Then,  when  he  learned  that  she 
had  said  nothing  at  all,  he  appeared  greatly 
relieved.  He  seemed  pleased  to  learn  that 
she  was  still  unconscious. 

Ichabod,    wonderingly,    thought    that    he 
heard  the  stranger  say: 

"Thank  God!" 

The  boat  was  no  sooner  beached  than  the 
man  who  had  been  rescued  leaped  ashore, 
still  carrying  in  his  hand  the  small  physician's 
bag.  He  raced  toward  the  cabin,  as  if  he 
felt  that  life  or  death  depended  on  his  haste. 
[  Captain  Ichabod  suddenly  felt  very  old 
and  worn.  He  had  used  too  much  energy  in 
this  work  of  rescue,  and  now  the  reaction  set 
in.  He  dawdled  over  the  securing  of  the  skiff. 
Then  he  made  his  way  with  lagging  steps 
toward  the  cabin.  He  pushed  open  the  door, 
and  was  startled  to  behold  the  man  he  had 
rescued  kneeling  beside  the  couch  of  the  girl. 
At  the  noise  of  the  opening  door,  the  man 
sprang  to  his  feet.  .  .  .  Ichabod  wondered 
as  he  glimpsed  an  object  that  shone  like  silver, 
and  then  was  slipped  cautiously  into  the 
man's  coat  pocket. 

Captain  Ichabod  approached  the  bed  upon 


28  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

which  the  girl  lay  motionless.  He  noticed 
on  the  forearm  a  tiny  drop  of  blood.  He 
wondered  also  over  this,  then  solved  the  puzzle 
to  his  satisfaction  by  thinking  that  a  mos- 
quito had  left  this  trace  of  its  attack.  He 
was  confirmed  in  the  opinion  by  the  fact  that 
there  was  a  white  blotch  beneath  the  touch  of 
crimson. 

Captain  Ichabod  tried  to  question  the  man 
he  had  saved,  but  found  every  answer  baf- 
fling and  unsatisfactory.  The  yachtsman  re- 
fused any  sort  of  information.  His  reticence 
angered  the  old  man,  and  he  at  last  spoke 
his  mind  freely,  with  something  of  suspicion 
engendered  by  a  new  thought  concerning  that 
curious  drop  of  blood  on  the  girl's  arm. 

"  She  acts  ter  me  like  a  woman  chuck-er- 
block  with  Bateman  Drops  or  opiimi.  A 
heap  o'  that  kind  o'  truck  is  used  by  the 
women  about  these-here  islands  o'  the  Sound, 
an'  I've  seed  a  heap  o'  the  effects  o'  it  in  the 
years  past,  but  the  good  Lord  knows  it's  a 
spell  since  Captain  Icky  has  seed  a  woman 
a-hitten  dope,  as  new-fangled  folks  calls  it." 

The  man  who  had  been  rescued  by  Icha- 
bod started  violently  as  he  heard  the  word 


AMONG  THE  BREAKERS  29 

''dope.**     He  cast  a  probing  glance  on  the 
old  man,  but  spoke  never  a  word. 

"Thar  is  one  thing  fer  sartin/*  continued 
the  fisherman,  "if  it  hain't  dope  that  is 
|a*lin*  o*  her,  it's  somethin'  that  calls  fer  an 
M.D.,  an'  if  she  hain't  come  to  her  senses  in 
an  hour,  I'll  put  the  rag  on  the  skiff  an'  run 
up  to  Beaufort  an'  bring  back  Dr.  Hudson  to 
pass  on  the  case.  Thar  has  never  been  a 
death  o'  a  htmian  in  Ichabod  Jones'  shack, 
an'  Lord  have  mercy,  the  first  passin'  sha'n't 
be  a  woman!" 

The  condition  of  the  girl  continued  such 
that  Ichabod  felt  it  necessary  to  simimon  the 
physician.  He  must  make  the  trip  in  his 
sailboat  to  Beaufort,  the  nearest  town  along 
the  coast.  The  yachtsman  now  approved  the 
idea. 

When  Captain  Ichabod  went  to  make  ready 
his  boat  for  the  trip  to  town,  the  yachtsman 
followed  him,  and  then  presently,  walking 
down  to  where  the  wreckage  had  come  ashore, 
proceeded  to  right  and  clear  of  debris  a  little 
cedar  motor  boat,  which  had  come  ashore 
from  the  wrecked  yacht,  practically  unharmed, 
except  that  the  batteries  were  wet. 


30  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

In  the  absence  of  Captain  Ichabod,  the 
stranger  removed  all  the  wire  connections  in 
this  small  boat,  and  placed  the  batteries 
over  the  stove  to  dry.  When  they  were  in 
fact  thoroughly  dried,  he  waited  patiently 
for  the  departure  of  Captain  Ichabod  in  search 
of  a  physician.  Presently,  the  old  man  set 
out  on  his  errand  of  mercy.  The  stranger 
yachtsman  grinned  derisively  as  he  saw  the 
boat  slip  into  the  smother  of  storm-tossed 
waters. 


CHAPTER  III 
A  New  Calamity 

PERHAPS  there  is  no  point  upon  the 
Carohna  coast  where  there  is  more 
interest  shown  in  weather  conditions 
than  at  Beaufort,  the  present  terminus  of 
the  great  inland  water-route  from  Boston  to 
the  Gulf.  There  are  vital  reasons  for  this. 
First:  a  fleet  of  small  fishing  vessels  makes 
this  their  home  port.  Hardly  a  family  in 
the  town  that  has  not  one  or  more  of  its  mem- 
bers going  to  sea  in  the  little  craft.  To  be 
caught  off  shore  in  one  of  the  West  India 
hurricanes,  which,  at  irregular  intervals,  touch 
this  point,  means  almost  certain  destruction. 
Again:  there  is  always  danger  to  the  low- 
lying  town  from  a  tidal  wave.  The  town  is 
built  on  flat  ground  almost  level  with  the 
surface  of  the  water.  There  is  no  sea  wall 
to  keep  off  the  angry  waves.  The  dwellers 
in  the  town  have  learned  their  danger  through 

31 


32  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

dear  experience  in  times  past  when  the  waves 
have  swept  over  it,  bringing  desolation  and 
death. 

Luckily,  the  storm  that  brought  the  stran- 
gers to  Captain  Ichabod  Jones  did  not  blow 
long  enough  from  the  southeast  to  cause 
severe  damage  to  the  town.  Nor  was  there 
loss  of  life  at  sea.  The  masters  of  the  fish- 
ing boats  had  seen  the  weather  flags — angry- 
red,  with  sullen  black  centers — ^flying  from  the 
signal  mast.  They  had  taken  warning  and 
remained  in  port  through  the  time  of  tempest. 

When  Uncle  Icky  roimded  the  point  of 
marsh  land,  and  headed  his  skiff  for  Beaufort, 
the  eyes  of  the  storm-boimd  fishermen  and 
the  other  loimging  natives  gathered  at  the 
market  wharf  quickly  espied  the  familiar 
patched  rag  of  sail  and  were  filled  with  won- 
der as  to  what  could  have  tempted  the  old 
man  from  his  snug  Island  out  into  the  teeth 
of  the  gale.  When  he  sped  into  the  slip, 
there  were  many  hands  ready  to  grasp  the 
hawser  tossed  to  them  by  Captain  Ichabod, 
and  make  it  fast  to  a  *'punchin." 

If  the  loimgers  had  expected  to  hear  some- 
thing startling,  they  were  doomed  to  disap- 


A  NEW  CALAMITY  33 

pointment.  He  had  no  time  then  to  stop  and 
gossip  with  friends.  He  hurried  on,  with  an 
air  of  unaccustomed  self-importance  on  ac- 
count of  the  serious  nature  of  his  mission.  He 
was  in  quest  of  Dr.  Hudson,  a  great-hearted 
man,  who  had  spent  the  best  years  of  his  life 
in  ministering  to  the  ills  of  these  fisherfolk. 
They,  in  their  turn,  looked  upon  him  with  a 
feeling  of  grateful  fondness,  tinctured  with 
awe — so  miraculous  to  them  seemed  many 
of  his  cures.  And,  too,  they  honored  him 
for  the  manner  in  which  he  did  his  duty 
toward  them.  Never  a  night  too  black, 
never  a  storm  too  high,  for  him  to  fare  forth 
for  the  relief  of  suffering.  Latterly,  however, 
he  had  felt  the  weight  of  work  over  much,  had 
felt  perhaps  as  well  the  burden  of  advancing 
years.  He  had  so  contrived  that  a  young 
medical  graduate  opened  up  a  practise  in 
the  neighborhood.  He  had  adroitly  used  the 
influence  of  suggestion  so  diplomatically  that 
most  of  the  chronic  cases — ^those  that  took 
comfort  in  telling  of  their  maladies,  in  detail- 
ing their  symptoms  to  imwilling  listeners — 
had  gladly  availed  themselves  of  the  new 
treatment   offered  by  the  yoimg  physician. 


34  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

In  this  way,  the  old  Doctor  was  spared  a 
tedious  and  unnecessary  routine  of  labor,  yet 
was  left  free  for  such  urgent  calls  as  might 
come  to  him. 

Ichabod  foimd  the  physician  at  home,  and 
declared: 

''Thar's  sick  folks  at  my  shack  what  needs 
ye  an*  needs  ye  bad/' 

The  doctor  was  aware  that  Ichabod's  sole 
companion  in  the  shack  was  the  rooster. 
Knowing  also  the  Captain's  fondness  for  the 
Dominick,  he  was  inclined  to  be  suspicious 
that  this  call  for  his  services  was  as  a  veter- 
inary. 

"I  suppose,"  he  said,  ''your  Shrimp  has  the 
pip."  Then,  of  a  sudden,  he  guessed  some- 
thing of  the  truth.  He  spoke  anxiously. 
''There  hasn't  been  a  wreck,  has  there?" 

"Right  ye  air.  Doctor,  there  has  been  a 
fool  shipwreck  on  my  oyster  rocks.  The 
captain  of  the  ship  an'  his  mate  air  at  the 
shack  this  very  minute.  He's  batty  as  a 
toad  arter  swallerin'  shot.  An'  she's  outter 
her  haid — leastways  she  ain't  got  sense  'nough 
left  ter  talk." 

In  answer  to  questions,  Ichabod  gave  a  full 


A  NEW  CALAMITY  S5 

narrative  of  what  had  occiirred,  telling  all 
the  events  in  his  own  quaint  fashion,  to  all 
of  which  Doctor  Hudson  listened  with  the 
closest  attention. 

His  comment  was  crisp. 

"It  soimds  like  whisky — ^more  likely,  mor- 
phia. I  reckon  it's  my  duty  to  go.''  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  physician's  curiosity  had 
been  aroused.  He  was  professionally  anxious 
to  get  at  a  solution  of  the  mystery.  He  hur- 
riedly changed  his  clothes  in  preparation  for 
the  rough  voyage  to  Ichabod's  Island,  and 
equipped  himself  with  the  old,  worn  leather 
bag  stocked  with  medicines,  which,  for  years, 
had  been  a  familiar  sight  throughout  the 
whole  region  in  every  household  where  dis- 
ease came  to  terrify  and  destroy. 

' '  Hurry,  Ichabod, ' '  the  Doctor  cried.  ' '  We'll 
shake  a  leg,  or  the  tide'll  be  nmning  against 
us." 

Ichabod's  skiff  was  tailed  to  the  physician's 
little  latmch.  The  motor  power  made  the 
voyage  to  the  Island  swift,  although  it  was 
rough,  even  to  the  point  of  danger  on  account 
of  the  storm-driven  waters.  When  they  had 
made  fast  at  the  landing,  the  two  hurried  to 


36  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

the  shack.  The  door  was  swinging  wide. 
But  to  their  amazement  and  dismay  not  even 
Shrimp  was  there  to  give  them  welcome. 
The  place  was  utterly  deserted.  The  visitors 
so  strangely  cast  up  from  the  sea  had  vanished 
as  mysteriously  as  they  had  come.  There 
was  the  bed  on  which  the  girl  had  been  lying 
— now  it  was  empty.  Not  even  a  vestige  of 
her  clothing  remained  to  prove  that  she  was 
more  than  the  figment  of  a  crazed  brain. 
Ichabod  stared  about  him  with  distended 
eyes.  He  could  make  no  guess  as  to  the 
meaning  of  the  strange  thing  that  had  be- 
fallen. Then,  abruptly,  his  dazed  mind  was 
aroused  to  a  new  calamity.  .  .  .  Shrimp,  too, 
was  gone! 

Presently,  Ichabod  looked  for  the  yacht's 
tender,  and  foimd  it  likewise  gone.  He  was 
able  to  imderstand  in  some  measure  what 
had  occurred.  The  batteries  had  been  dried 
by  the  hot  stove  in  the  shack,  and — ^the  little 
craft  thus  restored  to  nmning  condition — 
the  man  had  undoubtedly  fled  with  the  girl. 
And  with  them  Shrimp  had  voyaged.  A 
sudden  overwhelming  desolation  fell  on  the 
old  man.     He  had  been  through  much  that 


A  NEW  CALAMITY  37 

day.  He  had  been  strained  to  the  utmost 
resoiirces  of  his  energies.  And  he  was  an  old 
man.  He  had  small  reserves  of  force  with 
which  to  meet  the  vinexpected.  Now,  he 
felt  himself  bewildered  over  all  the  strange 
happenings.  And  there  was  something  more. 
The  one  constant  companion  of  his  lonely- 
life  was  Shrimp — and  Shrimp,  too,  had  fled 
from  him. 

The  Doctor,  very  much  puzzled  over  this 
absence  of  an  expected  patient,  started  to 
leave  the  shack.  He  halted  at  the  head  of 
the  steps,  and  looked  down  in  a  bewilderment 
touched  with  pity. 

For  Ichabod  was  on  his  knees  before  the 
steps  of  his  own  house,  and  his  form  was 
shaken  with  the  sobbings  of  despair. 


CHAPTER  IV 
Under  the  After  Awning 

SIDEWALKS  along  Fifth  Avenue  were 
packed  with  persons  of  all  national- 
ities, representatives  of  every  variety 
of  industrial  activity  in  the  life  of  the  City. 
There  was  a  reviewing  stand  erected  in  front 
of  the  massive  library  that  displayed  its  lines 
of  architectural  beauty  in  place  of  the  sloping, 
age-gray  walls  of  the  old  reservoir  at  Bryant 
Square.  City  officials  and  families  of  officers 
in  the  troops  soon  to  pass  were  assembled 
there  to  witness  this  march  of  soldiers  on  their 
way  to  entrain  for  the  Mexican  border.  They 
were  filled  with  the  zeal  of  patriots,  because 
their  comrades  had  been  foully  killed  on  that 
same  border  by  a  treacherous  foe,  and  they 
were  being  sent  to  avenge  that  insult  against 
the  life  and  dignity  of  their  nation. 

Came  the  rhythmic  beat  of  feet  on  the 
pavement ;  came  the  blare  of  the  band.    The 

38 


UNDER  THE  AFTER  AWNING       39 

two  swung  together  into  a  harmony  of  march- 
ing. These  boys,  ordered  to  the  front,  were 
going,  steadfastly,  as  in  duty  bound.  They 
loved  this  "  send-off/*  They  marched  with 
vigor  in  their  steps,  because  ten  thousand 
handkerchiefs  waved  from  the  windows  along 
the  line  of  march. 

On  the  sidewalks  was  assembled  a  strange 
crowd.  There  were  the  stenographers  taking 
their  noonday  outing.  Many  were  carefully 
over-powdered  and  perfumed.  They  were 
dressed  after  the  latest  fashion — a  long  way 
after  it! 

But  the  Midinettes  were  a  very  small  pro- 
portion of  those  wild  to  see  the  real  soldiers. 

All  New  York  had  heard  the  troops  were 
to  march  that  day.  And  all  New  York 
turned  out  to  see  the  regiments. 

There  are  a  myriad  phases  of  metropolitan 
life.  Those  phases  were  illustrated  that  day 
in  the  crowds  along  the  line  of  march.  The 
bulk  of  those  clustering  at  the  curb  were  of  a 
sort  eager  for  a  free  show.  In  the  coimtless 
loft  buildings  bordering  the  avenue  were 
hordes  of  men  and  women  too  busy  in  earning 
a  pitiful  wage  to  think  of  anything  so  friv- 


40  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

clous  as  a  procession,  with  banners  waving 
and  bands  playing.  But  while  these  had  no 
thought  of  marching  troops,  there  were  in- 
numerable others.  For  New  York  is  a  city 
gigantic.  Within  it  are  hosts.  Some  of  these 
always  are  idle.  Some,  always  eager  for  the 
free  show  of  the  streets. 

So,  to-day,  when  the  troops  are  to  march  by 
with  shrill  of  fife  and  blatant  noise  of  band, 
the  multitude  comes  scurrying,  curious  to 
see,  patriotic  with  the  emotional  patriotism 
of  one  just  become  a  citizen  of  a  free  coimtry, 
where  before  he  was  the  unrecognized  and 
unhonored  subject  of  despotism,  from  which 
he  fled  in  search  of  liberty. 

New  York  is  a  city  of  millions.  It  is  the 
biggest  city  on  earth.  It  is  the  melting  pot 
of  nations.  The  crowd  that  lines  the  curb 
is  of  one  sort.  There  is  another  sort  marching 
the  length  of  the  avenue.  And  this  is  a  mix- 
ture to  bewilder  any  beholder.  A  coimtry- 
man  from  New  Jersey,  with  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren comes  to-day  for  this  splendid  free  show 
of  the  troops  that  are  to  march;  the  coun- 
trymen from  the  reaches  of  New  York  along 
the    Hudson,   with   the  same  purpose;    his 


UNDER  THE  AFTER  AWNING       41 

fellows  from  Long  Island,  from  Connecticut. 
With  these  alien  figures,  treading  the  principal 
city  street  of  the  world,  are  others.  Those 
who  walk  there  daily  walk  there  again  to-day. 
The  clubman,  coated,  hatted,  gloved  to  per- 
fection, takes  his  accustomed  stroll  on  the 
avenue,  and  looks  with  contemptuous  dis- 
gust on  the  crowd  that  forces  him  to  walk 
gingerly  where  usually  he  struts  as  a  master. 
He,  too,  is  a  patriot  and  he  means  to  see  the 
march  of  the  troops,  and  to  applaud  it — ^but 
from  his  club  window,  if  ever  he  is  able  to 
make  his  way  there  through  the  perspiring 
congestion  of  the  motley  crowd. 

There  is  a  crew  of  money-makers,  busy 
along  the  avenue  on  an  occasion  such  as  this. 
These  are  hordes  of  itinerant  merchants 
moving  up  and  down  with  things  to  sell  to 
the  crowd.  They  offer  canes  and  instruments 
of  noise  that  by  a  twist  of  the  wrist  make  a 
horrible  din.  Expecially,  they  offer  American 
flags — ^bigger  or  smaller  according  to  the  pur- 
chaser's taste  and  purse.  These  are  bought 
with  eagerness  by  the  crowd,  and  the  fakers 
reap  a  harvest  from  the  enthusiasm  of  those 
assembled  to  witness  the  marching  soldiers. 


42  WHEN  THE   COCK  CROWS 

The  boy  with  a  box  is  dominant.  Wherever 
a  short,  but  eager  watcher  stands  to  look,  the 
boy  comes,  with  his  offer  of  a  box  to  stand  on, 
a  box  to  sit  on,  as  the  purchaser  may  please, 
for  the  nominal  cost  of  ten  cents.  Always,  one 
finds  at  hand  this  boy,  with  the  box  that  he 
offers  for  your  sitting  or  for  your  feet,  as  you 
will.  One  box  bought,  he  shows  another,  offer- 
ing it  for  sale.  Whence  he  comes  with  boxes  so 
multitudinous  none  may  guess.  But  he  goes 
away  with  nickles  and  dimes  enough  perhaps 
to  provide  an  income  that  will  continue  over 
imtil  another  day  of  parade. 

In  the  reviewing  stand,  there  was  seated 
a  girl  who  watched  the  marching  troops  with 
an  intentness  that  had  in  it  something  of 
desperation,  something  of  despair.  Yet,  as 
the  soldiers  passed,  she  gave  them  little  heed. 
She  was  always  looking  toward  those  advanc- 
ing, as  if  in  search  for  something  that  meant 
more  to  her  than  this  moving  mass  of 
troops. 

A  band  passed.  Behind  it,  at  the  head  of 
his  men,  rode  Colonel  Marion.  As  he  came 
opposite  the  reviewing  stand,  his  eyes  swept 
over  the  crowd  seated  on  the  tiers  of  benches. 


UNDER  THE  AFTER  AWNING       43 

They  rested  on  the  face  of  the  girl,  who  had 
been  so  anxiously  watching.  He  smiled  and 
saluted.  The  girl — his  daughter  Ethel — 
waved  her  handkerchief  eagerly  in  response. 
Then  she  turned,  and  spoke  to  the  young  man 
who  sat  beside  her.  There  was  love,  touched 
with  reverence,  in  her  voice. 

"Isn't  Daddy  splendid!" 

Her  companion,  Roy  Morton,  answered 
with  sincerity,  in  which  was  a  tincture  of 
irrepressible  bitterness. 

"He's  every  inch  a  soldier." 

The  bitterness  came  from  the  fact  that  a 
broken  tendon — received  during  his  last  foot- 
ball fight  for  Yale — disqualified  him  for  mil- 
itary service,  for  which  he  longed  more  than 
ever  in  this  hour  when  he  saw  the  girl  beside 
him  so  thrilled  by  the  pomp  of  war,  when  he 
saw  her  pride  and  exultation  in  the  military 
bearing  of  the  father  she  revered.  He  felt 
that  he  must  seem  a  slacker  in  her  eyes,  even 
though  she  knew  that  no  fault  of  his  own  kept 
him  at  home,  while  others  marched  away  to 
serve  their  cotmtry. 

For  Roy  loved  Ethel  and  his  chief  desire 
always  was  to  show  perfect  in  her  eyes.     For 


44  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

that  matter,  he  was  successful  enough,  since 
the  girl  loved  him.  Their  troth  was  plighted, 
and  in  due  time  they  would  be  married  with 
the  full  approval  of  Colonel  Marion,  who  both 
liked  and  respected  his  prospective  son-in- 
law.  So,  in  preparation  for  his  own  absence 
from  home  on  military  service,  he  strictly 
charged  Roy  to  watch  over  Ethel  and  guard 
her  from  any  possible  peril.  It  was  only  a 
father*s  instinctive  act  in  protection  of  his 
child.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  what  danger 
could  by  any  possibility  threaten  the  well- 
being  of  this  Ethel,  who  would  remain  living 
quietly  in  her  father's  New  York  house, 
along  with  the  elderly  cousin  who  acted  as 
chaperon  to  the  motherless  girl,  and  the  staff 
of  old  and  faithful  servants? 

During  the  summer  weeks  that  followed  the 
departure  of  her  father,  Ethel  lived  happily 
enough,  content  with  a  routine  of  life  that 
included  entertainments  of  the  usual  social 
sort  and  especially  the  almost  constant  com- 
pany of  her  lover. 

One  of  her  favorite  diversions  was  a  visit 
to  her  father's  yacht,  which  lay  at  its  moor- 
ings off  Eighty-fourth  Street  in  the  North 


UNDER  THE  AFTER  AWNING       45 

River.  There  was  only  a  caretaker  left  on 
board  during  the  ColoneFs  absence,  but 
Ethel  was  fond  of  spending  an  afternoon 
in  solitary  enjoyment  on  the  yacht.  Under 
the  after  awning  she  would  sit  at  ease  in  the 
low  wicker  chair,  by  turns  reading,  watching 
the  ceaseless  traffic  of  the  river,  musing  on 
love  and  happiness — ^which  meant,  always, 
Roy. 

Came  a  day  when  Roy  was  summoned  home 
by  the  illness  of  his  mother.  Ethel  went  with 
him  to  the  station  and  saw  him  off.  It  was 
long  after  noon  when  she  had  given  the 
last  word  of  farewell  and  the  last  kiss  of  ten- 
derness to  her  lover.  Ethel  thought  that  she 
would  like  to  seek  the  repose  of  the  yacht 
for  a  period  of  tranquil  meditation  in  the 
luxurious  depths  of  her  favorite  chair  under 
the  after  awning. 

She  rode  to  the  dock  in  a  taxicab,  and  the 
yacht's  tender  took  her  to  the  vessel.  It  was 
just  then  that  a  great  steamer  passed,  and  as 
she  wotild  have  moimted  the  stairs  to  the 
yacht's  deck  an  unexpected  swell  from  the 
passing  steamer  smote  the  stairs  so  violently 
that  Ethel  was  thrown  back  into  the  boat 


46  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

she  had  just  left,  with  an  ankle  crushed  under 
her  own  weight. 

The  girl  realized  that  it  was  badly  sprained. 
She  gave  orders  that  she  should  be  carried  on 
board  the  yacht  forthwith.  She  decided  then 
that  she  wotild  send  home  for  whatever 
might  be  needed — and,  too,  for  the  family 
physician. 

With  the  assistance  of  the  caretaker  she 
managed  to  reach  her  cabin,  and  then  sent 
the  fellow  to  bring  the  physician  in  all  haste. 
She  pulled  off  her  outer  garments  and  donned 
a  kimono,  and  crawled  into  her  berth,  to 
await  the  Doctor's  coming. 

It  was  within  the  hour  that  the  little  tender 
came  back  toward  the  yacht,  carrying  a 
passenger. 

This  was  Doctor  Gifford  Garnet,  the  fam- 
ily physician.  He  hurried  up  the  companion 
way,  and  went  at  once  to  his  patient's  state- 
room. A  very  short  examination  sufficed. 
He  saw  the  girl  was  suffering  excruciating 
pain  from  the  injury  to  her  ankle. 

The  physician  himself  was  a  victim  of 
morphia.  And,  too,  he  was  a  man  of  imag- 
ination— a  most  dangerous  quality  in  one 


UNDER  THE  AFTER  AWNING       47 


^ 


of  his  profession.  Now,  as  he  regarded  the 
girl,  he  reaHzed  the  intense  suffering  caused 
to  her  by  the  wrenched  tendons  in  the  ankle. 
That  thought  of  suffering  sickened  his  sensi- 
tive nature,  so  that  he  felt  an  emotion  almost 
of  nausea  from  the  pain  he  knew  her  to  be 
enduring.  .  .  .  And  he  was  a  coward.  Pain 
had  come  to  him  often.  Because  he  was  a 
coward,  he  had  fled  from  it — interposing 
morphia  as  a  shield  against  its  attack.  So, 
now,  in  sympathy  for  the  anguish  endured 
by  the  girl  he  turned  to  the  drug  to  give  her 
relief  from  suffering.  He  made  an  injection 
into  Ethel's  arm.  .  .  .  The  girl  watched  his 
movement  with  listless  eyes.  Then  she  sighed 
and  smiled  as  she  felt  the  gentle  sting  of  the 
needle.  At  once  she  sank  into  an  imtroubled 
sleep. 

Dr.  Garnet  regarded  her  for  a  moment  with 
a  curiously  contemplative  stare.  Then  he 
grinned  grimly,  pulled  up  his  coat  and  shirt- 
sleeve, and  pressed  the  piston  of  the  hypo- 
dermic, driving  a  heavier  charge  of  the  drug 
into  his  own  blood. 

One  minute  he  spent  in  deft  examination 
of  the  injured  ankle,  then  bandaged  it.    After- 


48  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

ward,  he  left  the  girl,  and  went  up  on  deck, 
where  he  stood  staring  through  long  minutes 
toward  the  fleecy  masses  of  cumulus  clouds 
that  lay  along  the  New  Jersey  horizon. 


CHAPTER  V 
A  Prisoner  of  Morphia 

IT  was  mid-forenoon  of  the  following  day 
when  Ethel  awoke  from  the  profound 
sleep  superinduced  by  the  drug.  It  was 
with  a  vast  astonishment  that  her  startled 
eyes  took  in  the  surroundings  of  the  state- 
room. There  was  a  blank  wall  straight  oppo- 
site her  widely  gazing  eyes,  where  should 
have  stood  a  dressing  table  of  Circassian  wal- 
nut, topped  by  the  long  oval  mirror  always 
ready  to  show  her  the  reflected  loveliness  of 
her  face.  And  there  should  have  been  also 
lying  exposed  on  the  polished  surface  of  the 
table  an  orderly  and  beautiful  array  of  those 
things  that  make  for  a  woman's  beauty — 
the  creams  that  cleanse  a  skin  too  delicate 
for  the  harsh  water  poured  from  city  mains; 
in  a  gold-topped  bottle  a  lotion  for  the  hair, 
delicate  and  effective;    in  dainty  phials  es- 

49 


50  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

sences  of  perfume,  subtle,  yet  curiously  per- 
vasive, with  the  fragrance  of  joyous  spring- 
time. Indeed,  a  medley  of  the  arts  evolved 
through  the  ages  for  the  perfecting  of  that 
beauty,  which,  after  all,  is  God-given — a 
thing  not  to  be  attained  by  the  pro- 
cesses of  even  the  most  skilled  beauty- 
doctors.  .  .  . 

But  Ethel  possessed  the  thing  itself.  To 
her  the  accessories  were  but  absurdities — 
unnecessary  and  wanton,  means  whereby  to 
emphasize  a  natural  loveliness. 

There  should  have  been  a  glimmer  of  pure 
white  light  from  the  back  of  a  hair  brush, 
lying  on  the  dressing  table.  Ethel  had  loved 
the  purity  of  that  ivory  surface.  She  had 
loved  it  so  much  that  she  refused  to  have  it 
broken  by  the  superimposition  upon  it  of 
initials  wrought  cleverly  in  silver  or  gold  or 
platinum.  That  brush  meant  so  much  to 
her!  Night  by  night,  she  toiled  with  it. 
After  she  had  undone  the  masses  of  her  bronze- 
gold  hair,  she  worked  over  them,  with  a  syba- 
ritical,  meticulous  care. 

She  was  used  to  sitting  in  negligee  and 
having  her  maid  brush  the  strands.     That 


A  PRISONER  OF  MORPHIA  51 

brushing  made  the  hair  resplendent.  .  .  . 
Now,  Ethel  looked — there  was  no  dressing 
table — no  mirror — nothing,  of  the  sort  that 
she  was  accustomed  to  see  when  she  awoke 
in  the  morning. 

She  thought  again  of  her  own  bedroom  at 
home.  She  was  minded  to  take  her  bath, 
which  must  be  drawn  and  waiting.  .  .  .  And 
then,  suddenly,  that  blank  wall  there 
before  her  eyes  hammered  upon  her  con- 
sciousness. 

She  was  stricken  with  a  curious  sense  of 
horror  in  this  instant  of  realization  that  she 
was  in  some  unknown  place — absolutely  apart 
from  the  dear,  familiar  things  of  home. 

For  a  few  horrid  instants  that  shock  of  a 
vague  terror  pressed  upon  her  like  a  destroy- 
ing incubus. 

A  moment  later,  recollection  thronged  upon 
her.  She  remembered  everything — the  com- 
ing to  the  yacht,  the  fall,  the  wrenched  ankle, 
the  arrival  of  the  physician,  the  almost  dainty 
pain  of  the  needle  thrust  into  her  flesh.  And 
then  Ethel  began  to  think  that  it  would  be 
pleasant  to  be  an  invalid  on  board  the  yacht 
for  a  long  time.    It  wotild  need  only  a  judi- 


52  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

cious  selection  of  guests  to  make  a  voyage  the 
most  agreeable  of  diversions. 

Just  then  she  was  startled  into  a  new  emo- 
tion. She  realized  the  rh3rthmic  beating  of 
the  engines.  .  .  .  The  yacht  was  already 
under  way. 

For  a  little,  Ethel  was  too  stunned  by  the 
shock  of  surprise  to  take  action.  To  her,  it 
was  inconceivable  that  the  yacht  should  be 
thus  voyaging.  It  should  be  still  lying  at 
anchor  in  the  North  River.  Her  father  could 
have  given  no  orders  for  its  sailing.  She  had 
not.  There  was  no  one  else  with  authority 
to  command  the  movements  of  the  craft.  It 
should  be  lying  at  anchor  in  its  berth.  .  .  . 
But  it  was  not.  There  was  the  pulse  from 
the  engines,  the  gentle  swing  of  the  hull  to 
prove  that  a  journey  was  begun.  A  journey — 
whither  or  wherefore  she  could  not  even 
guess. 

Ethel  put  her  feet  out  of  the  berth,  and 
winced  with  pain  from  the  movement  of  the 
injured  ankle.  But  she  set  her  teeth  in  grim 
determination,  and  stood  up,  putting  her 
weight  on  the  sound  foot.  Then  she  hobbled 
to  the  port,  and  looked  out.    She  saw  the 


A  PRISONER  OF  MORPHIA  53 

highlands  of  New  Jersey  slipping  gently 
past.  She  recognized  the  lightship.  There 
was  no  longer  room  for  doubt.  The  yacht 
had  put  to  sea. 

Ethel  remained  staring  out  of  the  port-hole 
for  a  long  hour,  during  which  the  New  Jersey 
coast  unrolled  a  panorama  of  varied  loveliness. 
And  throughout  all  that  hour,  the  girl  was  in  a 
maze  of  wonder  over  this  thing  that  had  be- 
fallen. She  could  make  no  guess  as  to  the 
meaning  of  it  all.  She  found  herself  dazed 
by  the  unexpected  situation.  Yet,  a  certain 
instinct  warned  her  of  danger.  She  did  not 
in  the  least  understand  the  nature  of  the 
peril,  the  cause  of  it,  the  effect.  But  some- 
how a  subconscious  intelligence  guided  her  to 
the  realization  that  this  inexplicable  situation 
was  fraught  with  portents  of  evil.  Her 
fear  sharpened  when  she  found  that  the 
door  of  the  stateroom  was  locked  from  the 
outside. 

Moving  with  care  that  she  might  not  cause 
herself  more  pain  by  strain  in  the  injured 
ankle,  she  looked  for  and  fotmd  a  pencil  and 
a  sheet  of  paper,  on  which  she  scribbled  a  note 
to  her  lover. 


54  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 


LI 


Mr.  Roy  Morton, 

Birchwood  Camp, 
"Nahassane,  N.  Y. 

** Dearest  Roy: 

''I  fell  and  injured  my  ankle  and  concluded 
to  stay  aboard  The  Isabel  under  the  care  of 
Dr.  Garnet.  I  awoke  this  morning  and  to  my 
surprise,  foimd  the  yacht  headed  down  the 
New  Jersey  coast.  I  tried  to  go  on  deck.  I 
foimd  I  had  been  locked  in  my  stateroom.  .  .  . 
Boat  still  headed  south.  Come  to  my 
rescue ! 

*'I  am  going  to  place  this  note  in  a  face- 
powder  can.  I  see  ahead  a  fisherman's  boat. 
It  is  near  enough  for  me  to  attract  its  atten- 
tion. I  shall  throw  the  can  near  the  boat, 
with  the  hope  that  the  fisherman  will  open  it 
and  find  this  note.  We  are  heading  toward 
the  Delaware  Capes. 

Love  to  you  and  father, 

Ethel  Marion." 


She  folded  the  note  and  scrawled  a  few 
words  on  the  outside  very  hurriedly,  for  they 
were  now  almost  abreast  the  fleet  of  fishing 
yawls. 


A  PRISONER  OF  MORPHIA  55 

'*  Mr.  Fisherman,  I  am  a  prisoner  on  my  own 
yacht.  Please  help  me  and  telegraph  this 
letter  to  Mr.  Morton's  address."  She 
crammed  the  bit  of  paper  into  the  can  from 
which  she  had  emptied  the  powder.  She 
thrust  her  head  out  of  the  port  and  uttered  a 
shrill  cry  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
fisherman.  Then  she  threw  the  can  with  all 
force  toward  the  nearest  boat. 

Ethel  watched  in  a  mood  of  half  hope,  half 
despair.  She  saw  the  can  fall  into  the  sea. 
But  one  of  the  fishermen  also  observed  the 
container  of  her  message  as  it  was  thrown  into 
the  water.  Ethel,  watching  with  strained 
eyes,  perceived  the  figure  of  a  man  in  oilskins 
who  suddenly  thrust  a  boat-hook  overboard, 
fished  with  it  for  a  moment,  then  drew  along- 
side the  tin  can,  bent  over,  and  picked  it  out 
of  the  water.  .  .  .  The  girl  thrilled  with 
relief  over  the  success  of  her  attempt  to  send 
news  of  the  trouble  come  upon  her. 

Nevertheless,  there  was,  there  could  be,  no 
immediate  effect  of  the  message.  The  engine 
of  the  yacht  throbbed  steadily,  carrying  her 
moment  by  moment  further  from  home  and 
lover  and  father  and  friends,  to  a  destination 


56  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

unknown — a  destination  fraught  by  imagina- 
tion with  unguessed  horrors. 

Suddenly,  Ethel  forgot  all  the  difficulties 
of  this  strange  situation  in  a  realization  of 
the  fact  that  she  was  hungry — atrociously 
hungry !  It  dawned  upon  her  that  she  had  not 
eaten  a  single  morsel  of  food  since  the  Itmch- 
eon  of  the  previous  day.  She  realized  then 
that  she  was  entirely  dependent  upon  her 
unknown  captor,  even  for  food  to  keep  her 
body  alive. 

The  distraught  girl  thought  of  the  locked 
stateroom  door,  and  was  made  frantic  by  the 
fact  that  she  was  thus  shut  in,  a  prisoner. 
She  stared  longingly  at  the  small,  round  port- 
hole. She  regarded  that  swinging  window  of 
heavy  plate  glass  with  an  anxiety  of  desire 
that  thrilled  through  every  atom  of  her  blood. 
She  wondered:  Could  she  by  any  chance 
thrust  her  slender  body  through  that  narrow 
aperture?  She  even  went  so  far  as  to  measure 
the  width  of  the  disc — comparing  the  space  to 
her  own  slender  breadth  of  shoulders. 

She  thought  that  it  might  be  possible  for 
her  to  thrust  her  lithe  form  through  the 
meager  opening.     She  believed  that  she  could 


A  PRISONER  OF  MORPHIA  57 

push  her  body  through  the  port-hole.  She 
dared  to  hope  that  she  might  thus  escape. 
Down  below  was  the  runway  used  by  the 
sailors.  It  seemed  to  her  that  the  matter  of 
escape  would  be  simple. 

Her  hunger  urged  Ethel  to  make  the  des- 
perate attempt.  She  was  sure  that  coiild  she 
once  reach  the  nmway  she  would  be  safe 
from  detection  on  the  part  of  the  one  directing 
the  course  of  the  craft  from  the  pilot-house. 
She  had  heard  no  noise  from  the  galley,  which 
was  near  her  room.  She  was  certain  that 
it  was  imoccupied,  and  that  she  could  slip 
into  it  imnoticed,  there  to  satisfy  her  longing 
for  food  from  the  abundant  supply  of  canned 
goods.  Then,  after  relieving  her  hunger,  she 
could  determine  her  future  conduct.  She 
might  decide  to  act  the  brave  part  by  showing 
herself  and  demanding  to  know  the  cause  of 
her  confinement;  or  she  might  return  in  the 
way  by  which  she  had  come  to  the  stateroom, 
with  a  supply  of  food,  and  thus  await  develop- 
ments. 

The  distracted  girl  took  a  full  hour  for 
consideration  of  the  matter.  Betimes,  she 
was  bold  to  the  point  of  desperation;    be- 


58  WHEN  THE   COCK  CROWS 

times,  she  was  flaccid  with  despair,  helpless 
before  the  mysterious  horrors  of  her  situation. 
But  at  last  courage  rose  in  her,  became  dom- 
inant. She  resolved  to  make  the  attempt  at  a 
descent  through  the  opening.  Now,  she  was 
not  in  the  least  intimidated  by  the  very  real 
danger  of  being  unable  to  secure  safe  footing 
upon  the  narrow  nmway.  The  deck  below 
was  without  a  solid  rail.  It  had  only  the 
light  hand  rail  with  an  open  space  beneath, 
through  which  her  body  might  easily  plimge 
into  the  sea.  Moreover,  the  peril  of  the 
exploit  was  increased  for  her  by  the  fact 
of  her  injured  ankle,  which  must  make 
her  footing  awkward  and  unsteady  at  the 
best. 

Ethel  found  some  comfort  on  a  final  exam- 
ination of  the  injured  ankle.  The  swelling 
from  the  sprain  had  lessened  very  percep- 
tibly. She  discovered,  too,  that  now  she 
could  bend  the  joint  a  little  without  experienc- 
ing the  excruciating  pain  which  such  move- 
ment had  produced  before  she  lost  conscious- 
ness from  the  effect  of  the  opiate.  The  fact 
that  the  injury  was  not  so  severe  as  she  had 
thought  and  that  she  could  at  least  depend 


A  PRISONER  OF  MORPHIA  59 

upon  the  hurt  member  for  some  support, 
painful  though  it  might  be,  heartened  her 
anew.  Without  further  pause  for  reasonings 
pro  and  con,  she  began  to  force  her  body 
thrdugh  the  opening. 

The  berth  was  so  located  that  by  placing 
her  soimd  foot  upon  the  edge  of  it  she  was 
able  to  thrust  the  upper  part  of  her  body  out 
of  the  port-hole.  But  this  aid  would  not 
serve  for  the  remainder  of  the  progress.  To 
get  her  hips  through,  she  would  have  to  de- 
pend on  being  able  to  seize  the  hand  rail 
and  thus  pull  herself  outward  and  downward. 
She  had  no  fear  of  being  caught  midway  and 
held  fast,  for  her  measurements  had  proved 
that  her  shoulders  were  a  trifle  broader  than 
her  hips.  The  danger  would  lie  in  getting  a 
firm  grip  with  her  hands  on  the  rail  and  in  the 
subsequent  swinging  down  of  her  body  to  the 
tmy  width  of  the  runway.  Now,  as  she 
Itmged  forward,  she  held  her  hands  out- 
stretched, as  if  she  were  about  to  dive  into 
the  sea.  In  this  moment  of  stress  she  thanked 
God  for  the  strictness  with  which  her  father 
had  insisted  on  athletic  training.  She  knew 
that  her  eye  was  keen  and  accurate,  that  her 


60  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

muscles  were  strong,  ready  with  instant  re- 
sponse to  the  commands  of  will. 

But,  to  her  dismay,  Ethel  found  that,  not- 
withstanding measurements,  her  shoulders 
would  not  pass  through  the  opening.  She 
writhed  in  fruitless  endeavor  until  she  was 
exhausted  by  the  strain.  Finally,  she  gave 
up  the  attempt  and  drew  back  into  the  cabin, 
utterly  downcast  by  her  failure.  Then,  when 
she  was  somewhat  refreshed,  she  tested  the 
accuracy  of  her  measurements.  To  her  as- 
tonishment she  foimd  that  she  had  made  no 
mistake.  The  port-hole  was  in  fact  a  little 
wider  than  her  shoulders.  For  a  time  she 
was  puzzled  by  the  mystery  of  it  all.  Then, 
suddenly,  imderstanding  came  to  her.  She 
realized  that  the  outstretching  of  her  arms 
had  caused  a  lifting  and  consequent  broaden- 
ing of  the  shoulders.  Once  again  hope  filled 
her.  She  repeated  her  attempt,  but  now 
with  arms  dropped  close  to  her  sides.  She 
thrilled  with  delight  as  her  shoulders  slid 
easily  through  the  opening. 

Then,  in  the  next  instant,  the  joy  vanished. 
In  its  place  came  stark  terror.  For  she  foimd 
herself  held  motionless,  when  half  way  through 


A  PRISONER  OF  MORPHIA  61 

the  port-hole,  with  her  arms  bound  fast  by 
the  pressure.  She  struggled  violently,  but 
to  no  avail.  She  was  caught  prisoner  with  a 
ruthless  firmness  that  could  not  be  escaped. 
Her  frantic  strivings  did  not  budge  her  body 
the  fraction  of  an  inch  either  forward  or  back- 
ward. Indeed,  it  seemed  that  her  futile 
endeavors  to  free  herself  only  succeeded  in 
wedging  her  more  securely.  She  fancied  that 
her  own  physical  violence  was  causing  her 
body  to  swell  so  that  it  should  be  gripped 
more  fiercely  by  the  unyielding  circumfer- 
ence of  the  window.  There  flashed  on  her  a 
memory  of  how  once  she  had  tried  on  a  friend's 
ring,  had  tried  it  on  a  finger  too  large;  of 
how  she  had  pushed  it  down  easily  enough 
over  the  joint;  of  how  she  could  not  push  it 
back  again.  She  remembered  how  the  finger 
had  swiftly  swollen  until  the  ring  was  deep 
sunken  in  the  reddened  flesh.  Now,  she 
imagined  her  body,  caught  within  the  metal  rim 
of  the  port-hole,  was  thus  reddened  and  swollen. 
Her  plight  filled  her  with  anguish.  The  dread 
of  it  made  her  forget  in  this  new,  overmaster- 
ing fear  all  that  she  had  so  greatly  dreaded 
hitherto.  .  .  .  Her  voice  broke  in  a  scream: 


62  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

"Help!  Oh,  help!  Help!'' 

Almost  instantly,  as  her  voice  ceased,  Ethel 
heard  the  sound  of  hurrying  feet  on  the  deck 
above.  She  twisted  her  neck  to  look  upward, 
and  saw  the  pleasantly  smiling  face  of  Doctor 
Gifford  Garnet,  as  he  peered  over  the  hurri- 
cane rail.  In  that  moment  of  relief,  the  girl 
welcomed  the  familiar  countenance  of  the 
family  physician.  She  had  no  thought  for 
the  cunning  smile  that  answered  to  her  an- 
guished appeal.  She  realized  only  that  here 
was  one  to  succor  her  in  her  extremity.  She 
called  out  to  him  imploringly: 

"Oh,  Doctor,  help  me  please.  I  am  caught 
here.  My  body  is  swelling,  I  think.  You 
must  get  me  out  at  once  or  I  shall  die.  Oh, 
hurry!'' 

The  Doctor  grinned  at  her  with  sardonic 
enjoyment  of  her  predicament.  But  his  bland 
words  soothed  her  alarm: 

"I  come  to  your  rescue  with  all  speed.  Miss 
Ethel.  Never  fear,  little  one,  you  will  soon 
be  quite  safe.  I  hasten  to  relieve  your  suf- 
fering." 

He  vanished.  Then,  a  few  seconds  later, 
she  saw  him  making  his  way  along  the  run- 


A  PRISONER  OF  MORPHIA  63 

way.  She  did  not  see  the  hypodermic  syringe 
he  carried  in  his  left  hand.  She  did  not  iin- 
derstand  even  when  he  came  to  her,  and  put 
his  two  hands  to  her  shoulders  as  if  to  help 
her.  She  felt  the  sting  of  pain  in  her  right 
arm,  but  thought  it  no  more  than  the  twinge 
of  a  strained  muscle.  Doctor  Garnet  deftly 
slipped  the  hypodermic  syringe  into  his  pocket 
without  the  girl's  observing  it.  He  spoke  to 
her  gently,  encouragingly,  awaiting  the  action 
of  the  drug.  Then,  a  few  moments  later, 
Ethel's  lids  drooped,  her  form  grew  limp,  her 
head  lolled  to  the  slight  swaying  of  the  yacht. 
She  was  held  now  in  a  clutch  more  terrible 
and  more  relentless  than  that  of  the  metal 
band  about  her  body.  She  was  the  hapless 
prisoner  of  morphia.  Dr.  Garnet  stared  into 
the  face  of  the  unconscious  girl  for  a  long  half 
minute,  with  a  curious  gloating  in  his  gaze. 
Then,  abruptly,  he  strode  away,  and  as  he 
went  he  chuckled  softly,  with  infinite  relish 
over  some  evil  jest  known  only  to  himself. 


CHAPTER  VI 
Hunting  a  Clue 

THE  Morton  camp  was  not  unlike  other 
Adirondack  camps  owned  by  the 
wealthy  New  Yorker.  It  consisted 
of  vast  acres  of  wonderful  forests,  where  con- 
ifers and  hard  wood  intermingled.  Through 
the  tract  wandered  a  pellucid  trout  stream. 
At  a  glance,  one  would  know  that  those  waters 
were  teeming  with  wonderful  trout,  that 
many  a  big  fellow  of  the  finny  tribe  inhabited 
the  depths  that  waited  for  the  angler's  liire. 

The  comfortable  camp,  built  of  rough-hewn 
logs  with  low  sloping  roof  overhanging  broad 
verandas,  was  built  upon  a  bluff  immediately 
above  and  overlooking  the  home  of  the  most 
elusive,  the  most  splendid  speckled  beauties — 
the  trout  that  are  the  most  savory  on  the 
table  and  the  gam.est  in  the  water. 

This  morning,  Roy  Morton  was  well  con- 

64 


HUNTING  A  CLUE  65 

t«nt  with  the  world.  It  was  late  stmuner, 
and  something  of  the  languor^of  the  season 
coursed  in  his  blood.  He  sat  on  the  porch, 
watching  idly  the  dimpling  waters  below  in  a 
pool.  He  had  an  eager  eye  for  the  occasional 
leap  of  a  trout  to  the  stirface  in  search  of  prey. 
He  watched  appreciatively  the  glint  of  rain- 
bow tints  on  the  iridescent  sides  as  the  fish 
rose  and  the  simlight  showed  all  its  splendor. 
While  he  gazed,  at  intervals,  Roy  worked  on 
his  fisherman's  tackle.  As  the  trout  leaped, 
he  studied  that  for  which  they  leaped — with 
an  idea  of  fashioning  flies  to  suit  their  ca- 
pricious taste.  He  finally  determined  just 
the  fly  that  he  should  use  for  a  cast  at  this 
hour  of  the  day  in  order  to  entice  the  appetite 
of  the  trout.  He  had  that  particular  fly  upon 
his  leader  in  readiness  for  a  ^cast,  and  had 
started  toward  the  stream  to  test  his  judgment 
in  playing  on  the  appetite  of  a  fish,  when  his 
attention  was  distracted  by  the  approach  of 
an  ungainly  boy,  evidently  a  native. 

The  boy  held  in  his  hand  a  telegram.  Roy 
dropped  his  tackle,  and  held  out  his  hand  for 
the  message.  Mechanically,  he  tossed  a  coin 
to  the  lad.     Then  he  ripped  open  the  envelope 


66  TVTJEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

and  read  the  message.  .  .  .  And  he  read 
there  Ethel's  frantic  appeal  for  help. 

Roy  was  equally  amazed  and  alarmed  as  he 
read  and  its  meaning  penetrated  his  brain. 
Usually,  he  was  a  yoimg  man  distinguished 
for  his  coolness,  resourcefulness  and  courage. 
Now,  however,  for  the  time  being  his  brain 
was  dazed;  his  heart  leaped  with  fear. 
Through  long  minutes  he  stood  motionless, 
staring  with  imseeing  eyes,  as  if  striving  in 
vain  to  penetrate  the  veil  of  this  terrible 
mystery  that  hung  between  him  and  the  girl 
he  loved.  His  thoughts  w^ere  a  miserable 
whirl  of  confusion;  his  will  was  powerless  to 
marshal  them  in  order.  He  did  not  note  the 
going  of  the  messenger  boy,  who  sauntered 
casually  back  over  the  way  he  had  come, 
whistling  in  happy  imconsciousness  as  to  the 
suffering  of  which  he  had  been  the  harbinger. 

Then,  presently,  Roy's  mind  cleared;  his 
heart  grew  brave  again;  he  felt  a  frantic 
desire  for  instant  action.  He  looked  about 
for  the  messenger  boy,  and  uttered  an  exclama- 
tion of  anger  as  he  saw  that  the  fellow  was 
gone.  He  was  desirous  of  sending  on  that 
very  instant  a  telegram  to  the  police  authori- 


HUNTING  A  CLUE  67 

ties  in  New  York,  asking  them  to  begin  an 
investigation  at  once.  He  shouted  for  the 
boy,  but  there  was  no  answer,  and  he  reaHzed 
that  the  messenger  was  gone  beyond  recall. 

Roy  wheeled,  and  rushed  into  the  house. 
He  ordered  a  horse  saddled,  and  within  five 
minutes  was  galloping  at  breakneck  speed  for 
the  station.  He  knew  that  the  next  regular 
train  was  not  due  for  three  hours,  but  he  had 
decided  without  any  hesitation  that  he  would 
order  a  special.  He  felt  that  no  haste  could 
equal  the  necessity  now  when  Ethel  was 
momently  being  carried  further  and  further 
away  from  him,  when  perhaps  her  life,  her 
honor,  were  imperilled  by  the  scoundrels 
who  had  her  in  their  keeping. 

On  his  arrival  at  the  station,  Roy  issued  his 
orders  with  a  crisp  air  of  authority  that  won 
instant  obedience  from  the  man  who  served 
as  station  master  and  telegraph  operator. 
The  telegraph  key  sotmded  busily  for  a  few 
minutes,  and  the  matter  was  arranged.  A 
special  would  be  ready  for  him  within  an 
hour.  This  would  ,^et  him  to  Albany  in  time 
to  make  connection  with  the  limited  express 
for  New  York. 


68  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

That  accomplished,  Roy  cantered  leisurely 
back  to  the  camp.  As  he  rode,  his  mind  was 
concentrated  on  plans  for  his  future  course. 
He  resolved  to  keep  the  matter  secret  from 
his  elderly  mother,  who  was  by  no  means  in 
good  health.  Instead,  he  would  merely  tell 
her  that  a  friend  of  his  was  in  trouble,  and 
that  he  must  go  immediately  to  New  York, 
in  order  to  straighten  out  the  affair.  His 
mother  accepted  his  explanation  without  any 
suspicion  that  he  had  told  her  only  a  half- 
,  truth.  She  merely  mourned  over  this  inter- 
ruption of  his  visit,  and  made  him  promise  to 
return  at  the  earliest  possible  moment.  Roy 
felt  shame  over  the  subterfuge  with  which  he 
had  deceived  his  mother,  but  he  knew  that 
it  was  necessary  for  her  own  sake,  while  her 
knowledge  of  Ethel's  plight  cotild  do  no  good. 

Roy  hastily,  but  methodically,  packed  his 
traveling  bag,  and  then,  after  an  affectionate 
farewell  to  his  mother,  stepped  into  the  town 
wagon,  and  was  driven  to  the  station.       ^ 

After  reaching  the  station,  Roy  occupied  the 
short  interval  of  waiting  for  the  special  by 
writing  out  two  messages,  which  he  had  put 
on  the  wire  to  New  York.     The  first  of  these 


HUNTING  A  CLUE  69 

was  addressed  to  the  Collector  of  the  Port, 
asking  whether  or  not  clearance  papers  had 
been  taken  out  for  The  Isabel,  The  other 
telegram  was  to  the  most  noted  detective 
agency  in  the  city,  which  contained  a  request 
that  their  best  operative  should  meet  him  at 
the  arrival  of  his  train  in  the  Grand  Central 
Terminal.  He  directed  that  the  replies,  in 
each  instance,  should  be  sent  to  him  at  Albany, 
in  care  of  the  limited  train  with  which  he 
would  make  connection  there. 

The  second  message  was  barely  completed 
and  delivered  to  the  telegrapher  when  the 
special  roared  to  a  standstill  by  the  station 
platform.  Roy  sprang  quickly  up  the  steps, 
and  almost  before  he  had  entered  the  car  the 
locomotive  was  again  snorting  on  its  way. 

The  loimgers  about  the  station  watched 
greedily  this  unexpected  interruption  of  the 
day's  routine.  And,  too,  there  was  bitter 
envy  in  their  hearts  directed  toward  this 
handsome,  young  aristocrat,  who  could  thus 
simimon  a  train  for  his  private  pleasure. 
They  could  not  guess  an3rthing  of  the  black 
misery  that  marked  the  mood  of  the  young 
man  whom  they  deemed  so  favored  of  fate. 


70  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

Roy*s  impatience  was  such  that  he  coiild 
not  sit  for  a  minute  at  a  time.  Instead,  he 
strode  to  and  fro  with  the  feverish  intensity 
of  a  leopard  padding  swiftly  backward  and 
forward  in  its  cage.  So  he  moved  restlessly, 
though  walking  in  the  car  was  none  too  easy. 
There  was  need  of  haste  if  the  special  would 
catch  the  limited  express  at  Albany.  It  was 
evident  that  the  engineer  and  fireman  had  no 
mind  to  fail, in  the  task  set  for  them.  The 
fireman  gave  steam  a  plenty,  and  the  engineer 
made  use  of  it  with  seemingly  reckless  prod- 
igality. The  car  swayed  and  leaped  with  the 
excessive  speed.  On  the  curves,  sometimes, 
it  appeared  as  if  it  must  be  thrown  off  the 
track,  and  Roy  was  compelled  to  cling  fast 
to  his  seat  in  order  to  avoid  falling.  But  he 
felt  no  distress  over  the  rocking,  lurching 
progress.  Rather,  he  foimd  a  grim  joy  in  it, 
since  it  was  haste,  and  always  more  haste, 
for  which  he  longed.  .  .  .  And  then,  at  last, 
the  special  thundered  into  the  Albany  sta- 
tion and  clanged  to  a  standstill.  Roy  breathed 
a  sigh  of  relief.  The  limited  express  had  not 
yet  pulled  in. 

He  had  time  to  make  inquiry  concerning 


HUNTING  A  CLUE  71 

telegrams,  and  found  one  awaiting  him  from 
the  Collector  of  the  Port  of  New  York.  This 
simply  stated  that  no  papers  had  been  issued 
for  the  clearing  of  the  yacht  Isabel,  The 
message  added  that  if  the  vessel  had  sailed 
it  must  have  been  stolen.  Just  as  he  finished 
the  reading  of  this  dispatch,  the  operator 
handed  him  a  second  telegram — one  from  the 
detective  agency.  It  announced  that  their 
best  operative  would  meet  him  in  the  ter- 
minal at  the  gate  on  the  arrival  of  the  limited 
express  in  New  York.  There  was  a  direction 
added  to  the  effect  that  the  operative  might 
be  recognized  by  his  standing  apart  from  the 
crowd  and  wearing  two  white  carnations  in 
the  lapel  of  his  coat. 

Arriving  at  the  Grand  Central  terminal,  Roy 
walked  rapidly  to  the  exit  gate.  His  eyes 
roamed  for  a  moment  over  the  passing  throng 
in  search  of  the  man  with  the  boutonniere  of 
white  carnations,  and  presently  picked  him 
out  where  he  stood  a  little  apart.  Roy  hur- 
ried to  him,  and  made  himself  known.  At 
once  then  the  two  men  left  the  station  and 
crossed  over  to  the  Biltmore,  where  they  took 
seats  in  the  lobby  for  a  conference. 


72  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

Jack  Scott,  the  detective,  had  won  fame  for 
his  agency  by  his  masterly  work  in  solving 
the  problems  of  many  skilftil  jewel  robberies 
among  the  wealthy  residents  of  the  metropolis. 
He  yet  lacked  some  years  of  thirty,  but  his 
reputation  was  already  of  the  highest  among 
those  who  knew  what  his  occupation  was. 
For,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  young  man  was 
of  old  Knickerbocker  stock,  and  the  inheritor 
of  wealth.  He  had  a  genius  for  detective 
work  and  a  love  of  the  calling  that  compelled 
him  to  make  it  his  vocation.  But  his  em- 
ployment in  this  wise  was  known  only  to  the 
head  of  the  agency  with  which  he  had  asso- 
ciated himself,  and  to  a  few  trusted  intimates. 
The  better  to  guard  his  secret  he  adopted  the 
plebeian  alias  of  Jack  Scott  for  professional 
purposes  instead  of  his  own  aristocratic  name. 

He  had  first  won  the  admiring  attention 
of  the  detective  agency's  chief  by  an  exploit 
when  he  was  only  eighteen  years  of  age.  At 
that  time  his  mother  was  robbed  of  a  fabu- 
lously valuable  pearl  necklace.  Extraordinary 
rewards  were  offered  for  its  recovery,  and  de- 
tectives big  and  small  himted  high  and  low 
for  the  gems.     They  failed  utterly  in  their 


HUNTING  A  CLUE  73 

search.  But  the  lad  worked  out  a  theory  as 
to  the  theft,  gained  evidence  to  prove  it  the 
truth — in  short,  within  a  fortnight,  he  had 
recovered  the  pearls,  and  the  thieves  were 
safely  lodged  in  jail. 

Already  at  this  early  age,  the  boy  was 
profoundly  interested  in  uplift  work  among 
criminals.  When  his  mother  smilingly  turned 
over  to  him  the  reward  she  had  offered  for  the 
recovery  of  her  necklace,  he  devoted  the 
whole  sum  to  this  charitable  work.  And 
ever  since  he  had  made  a  like  disposal  of  the 
proceeds  from  his  professional  services.  Now, 
Roy  recognized  in  the  detective  assigned  to 
him  by  the  agency,  an  acquaintance  of  his 
own,  Arthur  Van  Dusen.  He  expressed  his 
astonishment  at  this  revelation  concerning 
one  whom  he  had  regarded  merely  as  a  social 
butterfly.  But  explanations  were  soon  made, 
and  Roy  could  not  doubt  Van  Dusen's  ability 
since  it  was  guaranteed  by  the  agency. 

He  immediately  made  known  his  need  of 
help. 

'*  Fm  afraid,'*  he  began  with  a  tremor  of 
anxiety  in  his  voice,  "that  you  have  been 
assigned  to  a  case  which  will  prove  hard  to 


74  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

solve.  The  woman  I  love — the  woman  I 
had  expected  to  marry  soon — has  been  taken 
from  me  in  a  most  mysterious  way.  Somehow 
she's  been  kidnapped,  and  taken  to  sea  a 
prisoner  on  her  father's  yacht.'* 

"Her  name?"  Van  Dusen  demanded  crisply 
as  the  speaker  paused. 

"It's  Ethel  Marion,"  Roy  answered  huskily. 
"The  daughter  of  Colonel  Stephen  Marion, 
who,  at  present,  is  with  his  regiment  on  the 
Mexican  Border."  He  drew  Ethel's  message 
from  his  pocket  and  extended  it  to  th3  detec- 
tive. 

"The  only  clue  I  have,"  he  continued,  "is 
this  letter  from  her.  She  managed  somehow 
to  toss  it  near  enough  to  a  fisherman's  dory 
so  that  they  picked  it  up,  and  forwarded  It 
to  my  mother's  camp  in  the  Adirondacks.  I 
wired  the  Collector  of  the  Port  for  information 
about  the  yacht's  clearance  papers.  I  had  a 
reply  from  him  at  Albany  on  the  way  down 
here.  He  said  that  the  yacht  has  not  been 
cleared,  and  that  if  it's  not  in  port,  it  has  been 
stolen." 

Roy  fairly  groaned,  and  made  a  gesture  of 
despair. 


HUNTING  A  CLUE  75 

''That's  all  I  know  of  the  affair/'  he  added 
drearily.  "I  am  distracted  for  fear  some- 
thing dreadful  may  have  happened  already. 
You  understand  now  how  badly  I  require  your 
help.  I  can  think  of  nothing — do  nothing. 
You  are  not  to  think  of  expense.  Just  rescue 
Ethel  Marion  and  run  down  and  jail  those 
guilty  of  this  crime  against  her."  His  voice 
suddenly  became  pleading.  "And  you  must 
let  me  enlist  as  a  lieutenant  to  serve  under 
you.  Inactivity  imder  such  stress  would 
drive  me  mad,  I  know.  I  was  stunned  at 
first,  but  now  I  have  my  faculties  again,  and 
I  believe  that  I  may  be  able  to  be  of  use  in 
the  case  imder  your  guidance." 

Van  Dusen  stretched  out  his  hand  and 
clasped  that  of  Roy  warmly.  Something 
in  the  firm  contact  comforted  the  distraught 
lover.  It  was  as  if  strength  and  courage 
flowed  into  him  from  the  other  man. 

"Rely  upon  me,"  Van  Dusen  said  quietly, 
but  with  a  note  of  confidence  in  his  voice  that 
still  further  served  to  hearten  his  hearer. 
"And  I  shall  certainly  make  use  of  you — and 
at  once.  First  off,  I'll  ask  you  to  get  in  touch 
immediately  with  Captain  Halstead,  the  mas- 


96  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

ter  of  my  yacht.  Arrange  to  have  it  properly 
equipped  and  provisioned,  so  that  we  may  sail 
at  a  moment's  notice.  Luckily/*  he  added 
musingly  to  himself,  "the  new  wireless  outfit 
is  already  installed  on  The  Hialdo.  We'll 
need  it." 

Van  Dusen  stood  up  abruptly,  and  again 
spoke  to  Roy,  almost  curtly. 

**  After  you've  attended  to  the  matter  of 
the  yacht,  report  to  me  at  the  agency.  You 
should  be  there  well  within  an  hoiu*.  If  you 
arrive  first,  wait  for  me.'* 

"But  you ?"  Roy  began  eagerly. 

Van  Dusen  replied  to  the  unfinished  ques- 
tion. 

"I'm  off  now  to  seek  a  clue  from  Miss 
Marion's  maid.'*  His  voice  grew  gentle  as 
he  spoke  again  after  a  moment's  silence.  '  *  It's 
a  curious  case;  curious  and — difficult.  But, 
please  God,  we'll  win.** 

Roy*s  answer  came  brokenly. 

"Heaven  bless  you,  Van  Dusen!  And,** 
he  added  with  fierce  intensity,  "we  will  win 
— ^we  must!" 


CHAPTER  VII 
Stormbound 

VAN  DUSEN  hurried  to  the  Marion 
address,  where  he  found  Ethel's  maid 
thoroughly  enjoying  the  vacation  that 
had  resulted  for  her  from  Doctor  Garnet's 
action.  Using  his  alias  of  Jack  Scott,  Van 
Dusen  explained  to  the  girl  the  situation  that 
had  developed,  which  was  so  perilous  to  her 
yotmg  mistress.  When  the  maid  had  recov- 
ered from  her  first  dismay,  she  told  freely  all 
that  she  knew,  and  this  was  sufficient  easily 
to  give  Van  Dusen  the  suspicion  that  the 
family  physician  might  be  in  fact  the  guilty 
man,  who  was  responsible  for  Ethel's  disap- 
pearance. 

The  detective's  next  visit  was  to  the  office 
of  Doctor  Garnet.  There  he  fotmd  the  physi- 
cian's secretary  much  worried  over  the  pro- 
longed and  unexplained  absence  of  his  em- 
ployer.   He  declared  that  the  last  time  he 

77 


78  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

had  seen  Doctor  Garnet  was  several  days 
before  when  he  had  left  in  answer  to  a  hurry 
call  from  the  victim  of  an  accident.  The 
secretary  added  that  he  had  made  careful 
inquiries  in  every  possible  direction,  but  had 
been  unable  to  find  any  trace  whatsoever  of 
the  missing  man. 

Van  Dusen  gave  only  vague  answers  to  the 
anxious  questions  put  by  the  secretary.  He 
stated  merely  that  a  client  of  his  was  anxious 
to  get  in  touch  with  the  physician.  Then, 
without  more  ado,  he  hastened  to  keep  his 
appointment  with  Roy.  His  own  face,  now 
he  was  alone  without  any  necessity  for  the 
mask  of  indifference,  was  deeply  pertiu-bed. 
Consternation  was  written  in  his  expression. 
His  deductions  brought  him  face  to  face  with 
the  fact  that  Garnet  was  actively  concerned 
in  the  mystery.  Either  the  physician  was 
actually  guilty  of  abducting  his  girl  patient 
for  some  evil  purpose  of  his  own,  or  else  he 
himself  was  also  a  victim  of  the  kidnappers 
along  with  Ethel.  Or,  finally,  the  man  had 
suddenly  become  deranged  from  nerve  strain 
and  overwork,  and  in  this  irresponsible  con- 
dition had  stolen  away  the  girl,  with  what 


STORiVIBOUND  79 

crazy  design  none  might  guess.  This  possi- 
biHty  was  even  more  dreadful  than  the  others 
since  there  could  be  no  certainty  as  to  what 
the  madman  might  intend.  Van  Dusen  real- 
ized, with  a  shudder  of  horror,  that  in  haste 
must  lie  the  only  chance  of  rescuing  the  girl 
from  some  horrible  fate.  It  seemed  to  him 
that  the  single  feasible  plan  would  be  to 
follow  down  the  coast  according  to  the  direc- 
tions given  in  Ethel's  letter  to  Roy.  While 
doing  this  the  wireless  on  his  yacht  would 
keep  constantly  in  touch  with  all  Southern 
ports  and  with  the  coastwise  steamers  for 
news  of  The  Isabel.  Then  whenever  the  stolen 
yacht  should  be  located,  if  fortime  so  fav- 
ored, it  would  be  pursued  with  all  speed  in  the 
hope  of  effecting  a  rescue. 

Van  Dusen  found  Roy  pacing  imeasily  to 
and  fro  in  an  outer  room  at  the  agency.  He 
had  performed  the  duties  entrusted  to  him 
by  the  detective  and  was  now  wild  with  im- 
patience for  further  action.  His  first  glance 
into  Van  Dusen's  face  stirred  him  to  new 
excitement. 

1  "Oh,  Arthur!"  he  exclaimed,  ''I  can  see  by 
your  expression  that  you  have  obtained  im- 


80  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

portant  information.  Tell  me!"  he  insisted. 
"Tell  me!  I  must  know — even  if  it's  the  worst. 
In  these  hours  of  suspense  and  despair,  I've 
braced  myself  to  stand  any  shock.     Tell  me!" 

Van  Dusen  answered  soothingly. 

"Roy,  old  man,  the  mystery  will  be  solved, 
I  think,  and  that  before  long.  That  is  to  say, 
it  will  be  cleared  up  tmless  The  Isabel  founders 
at  sea  before  we  can  reach  it.  I  have  dis- 
covered that  in  all  human  probability  Miss 
Marion  has  been  carried  away  in  the  yacht 
by  Doctor  Garnet." 

"Are  you  positive  about  that?"  Roy  de- 
manded fiercely. 

"I  am  positive  this  far,"  came  the  quiet 
reply.  "Doctor  Garnet  has  not  returned  to 
his  office  since  the  time  when  he  answered  the 
call  to  attend  Miss  Marion  on  the  yacht.  It 
is  fairly  to  be  deduced  from  her  message  to  you 
that  he  appeared  on  board  in  answer  to  her 
summons.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  Doctor 
Garnet  is  the  one  responsible  for  this  outrage. 
He  is  either  the  victim  of  a  sudden  fit  of  in- 
sanity, or  he  has  become  a  man-beast,  sac- 
rificing position  and  honor  and  every  decent 
instinct  in  order  to  gratify  a  heretofore  smol- 


STORMBOUND  81 

dering  lust,  which  has  suddenly  flamed  forth 
and  got  beyond  his  control." 

''Your  deductings  are  doubtless  right — at 
least  in  part,"  Roy  admitted,  though  with 
obvious  reluctance  in  his  tone.  ''But  I  find 
it  hard  to  believe  the  possibility  of  Doctor 
Garnet's  being  the  brute  you  suggest.  He  is 
imiversally  esteemed  not  only  for  his  ability, 
but  also  for  his  manliness  and  his  many  deeds 
of  kindness  and  charity.  If  he  has  done  this 
thing  it  must  have  been  as  you  also  suggest 
because  he  has  gone  crazy." 

Roy  mused  for  a  moment,  and  then  spoke 
with  a  new  note  of  excitement  in  his  voice. 

"How  do  we  know  that  the  Doctor  was  not 
murdered  while  on  board  the  yacht,  and  that 
the  murderer  or  murderers  then  made  off 
with  the  vessel  and  Marion?  Or,  perhaps, 
the  tender  was  capsized  and  he  was  drowned 
along  with  the  caretaker.  Afterward  the 
kidnapping  may  have  been  done  by  others 
who  knew  nothing  whatever  of  Doctor  Gar- 
net." Roy  shook  his  head  with  decision. 
"Anyhow,"  he  added,  "I  cannot  believe  that 
Doctor  Garnet,  in  his  right  mind,  could  ever 
have  been  gmlty  of  such  a  foul  crime." 


82  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

Van  Dusen  regarded  the  young  man  toler- 
antly, but  his  smile  was  a  little  cynical  as  he 
replied : 

"When  you  have  studied  crime  as  thor- 
oughly as  I  have  during  the  past  few  years, 
Roy,  yon  will  not  be  so  confident  of  finding 
nothing  but  good  in  any  particular  man,  no 
matter  how  high  his  reputation  may  be.  I 
cannot  say  with  certainty  that  Doctor  Garnet 
is  vile;  neither  can  I  say  that  he  is  incapable 
of  vileness.  But  in  the  work  I  have  to  do,  I 
must  entertain  all  possibilities  if  I  would  solve 
the  problem." 

"Well,  Arthur,''  came  Roy's  reply  after  a 
moment  of  reflection,  ''I  admit  that  I  am 
amazed  by  what  you  have  told  me.  I  do  not 
in  the  least  tmderstand  the  turn  of  affairs  by 
which  Doctor  Garnet  is  implicated.  But  you 
are  in  charge  of  the  case,  and  I  am  absolutely 
in  your  hands.  I  mean  not  to  hamper  you  in 
any  way — not  even  by  throwing  doubts  on 
your  judgment.  So,  now,  just  tell  me  what 
you  mean  to  do  next." 

Van  Dusen  answered  authoritatively: 

"We  must  leave  at  once.  On  my  way  here, 
I  sent  out  wires  to  Norfolk  and  other  nearby 


STORMBOUND  83 

coast  points.  These  will  be  sufficient  to  keep 
the  port  officers  on  the  lookout  for  The  Isabel, 
as  well  as  the  coast-guard  crews.  I  have  a 
wardrobe  on  board  my  yacht.  Whatever 
you  may  need  beyond  what's  in  your  bag,  I 
can  supply  you  with.     Let's  be  off." 

Van  Dusen's  yacht  was  moored  near  the 
spot  where  The  Isabel  had  been  lying.  The 
detective  made  diligent  inquiry  at  the  landing 
stage  in  the  hope  of  picking  up  some  bit  of 
information  concerning  Doctor  Garnet's  pres- 
ence there,  but  the  effort  was  fruitless.  No 
one  seemed  to  have  known  anything  concern- 
ing the  physician's  visit. 

Forthwith,  then,  the  two  yoimg  men  went 
aboard  Van  Dusen's  yacht,  and  a  few  min- 
utes later  the  vessel  was  imder  way,  with 
instructions  to  the  master  to  hug  the  New  Jer- 
sey shore  while  keeping  a  sharp  lookout  for 
The  Isabel. 

The  detective  operated  his  own  wireless 
outfit  and  for  several  hours  at  the  outset  of 
the  voyage  he  kept  busy,  interrogating  the 
different  ships  bound  up  and  down  the  coast, 
and  the  shore  stations  as  well,  for  any  infor- 
mation concerning  the  stolen  yacht.     Finally, 


84  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

a  tramp  steamer  answered  that  she  had  passed 
The  Isabel  the  day  before,  and  that  the  yacht 
at  that  time  was  headed  down  the  coast, 
going  slowly,  in  the  direction  of  Hampton 
Roads.  At  once,  on  receiving  this  news.  Van 
Dusen  directed  that  the  yacht's  course 
should  be  set  for  Cape  Charles  and  the 
Roads. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  without  this  informa- 
tion, the  yacht  must  have  taken  this  same 
direction  for  the  sake  of  safety,  since  the 
weather  soon  became  so  threatening  that  none 
but  the  most  foolhardy  would  have  ventured 
to  navigate  in  the  open  sea  a  vessel  of  The 
Hialdo  type. 

The  Hialdo  pushed  her  nose  through  the 
waters  of  Hampton  Roads  in  the  early  morn- 
ing. Both  Roy  and  Van  Dusen  were  on  the 
bridge,  surveying  with  their  glasses  every 
detail  visible  of  the  bays  and  creeks.  They 
dared  hope  to  catch  somewhere  a  glimpse  of 
The  Isahely  for  they  believed  that  she  must  be 
secreted  somewhere  hereabouts  in  some  out- 
of-the-way  place.  They  were  justified  in 
this  by  the  fact  that  they  had  received  no 
word  of  the  yacht's  arrival  from  the  harbor 


STORMBOUND  85 

authorities  of  Norfolk.  Yet,  now,  their  rov- 
ing scrutiny  was  of  no  avail.  Nowhere  could 
they  find  a  trace  of  aught  that  could  possibly 
be  mistaken  for  The  Isabel.  .  .  .  With  the 
approach  of  night  the  violence  of  the  gale 
became  such  that  perforce  Van  Dusen  gave 
orders  for  the  tying  up  of  the  The  Hialdo 
at  the  Norfolk  port,  there  to  await  the 
passing  of  this  southeaster  of  hurricane 
force. 

The  hours  during  which  the  tempest  raged 
were  fraught  with  horror  for  Roy  Morton. 
He  was  in  despair  now,  for  he  could  not 
believe  that  The  Isabel  would  be  able  to  ride 
out  the  gale.  His  imagination  pictured  for 
him  with  frightful  vividness  the  wreck  of  the 
yacht  and  its  carrying  down  to  death  the  girl 
he  loved.  The  young  man's  agony  of  spirit 
was  so  evident  that  Van  Dusen  became 
alarmed  lest  he  should  break  down.  The 
detective  thought  to  distract  Roy  from  his 
morbid  thoughts  by  suggesting  that  they  take 
a  trip  into  the  town  to  lessen  the  tedium  of 
waiting  until  the  storm  should  wear  itself 
out.  His  persistence  at  last  won  a  reluctant 
consent,  and  the  two  set  forth.  ...  In  after 


m  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

years,  Roy  was  to  think  often  with  shuddering 
of  what  must  have  been  tlie  dreadful  result, 
had  he  indeed  refused  to  accompany  the 
detective  on  that  excursion  into  the  town. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
The  Efficiency  of  Clam  Broth 

THE  mere  act  of  rapid  walking  had  a 
beneficial  effect  upon  Roy.     His  cir- 
ciilation   was   equalized   by  the   exer- 
cise and  something  of  his  natural  buoyancy  of 
spirit  was  restored  to  him.     The  detective, 
too,  found  pleasure  in  the  tramp,  and  the 
young  men  walked  along  many  miles  of  the 
Norfolk  streets,  aimless,  but  well  entertained. 
They  swimg  at  last  into  the  square  where  a 
huge    monument    commemorates    the    Lost 
Cause  and  heroic  dead.   Suddenly  Van  Dusen's 
attention  was  attracted  to  a  huge  gilt  sign 
over  the  door  of  a  saloon.     The  outer  aspect 
of  the  place  was  attractive  enough,  with  some- 
thing of  distinctiveness  about  it.     He  turned 
to  Roy  and  spoke  with  a  tone  of  amused 
interest. 

''That   seems  a  bit   different   from   other 
saloons.     And  I  fancy  the  sign  tells  the  truth." 

87 


88  WHEN  THE   COCK  CROWS 

With  the  words,  he  pointed  to  the  gilt  letter- 
ing over  the  door. 

Roy  turned  and  looked  in  the  direction  of 
the  detective's  pointing  finger.  "Clam  Broth 
King,"  he  read,  and  smiled  appreciatively. 

**Well,  old  man,"  he  remarked,  "it's  a 
straightforward  way  of  advertising  a  food,  as 
well  as  a  novel  one.  And  from  the  labels  on 
the  bottles  in  the  window,  it  might  prove  a 
good  place  for  us  to  visit  before  we  start  on 
the  return  joiuney  to  the  yacht. 

"I  really  know  the  place,"  Van  Dusen 
declared,  "and  it  is  excellent.  About  a  year 
ago,  I  was  in  this  city  on  an  important  case. 
It  was  through  the  assistance  of  The  King 
that  I  was  able  to  locate  a  most  valuable 
witness.  And  the  probability  is  that  but  for 
the  sign  I  would  have  missed  it.  I've  always 
been  a  perfect  fiend  for  clam  broth.  After 
seeing  the  sign,  I  knew,  of  course,  there 
must  be  something  particular  in  that  line 
inside,  and  so  I  wandered  in.  Well,  I  was 
served  by  The  King.  When  I  first  entered, 
I  reconnoitered  by  stepping  up  to  the  bar  and 
ordering  a  drink.  Before  I  had  a  chance  to 
question  the  man  who  was  serving  me,   a 


EFFICIENCY  OF   CLAM-BROTH       89 

gentlemanly  appearing  fellow  touched  me  on 
the  arm,  and  asked  me  pleasantly  if  I  wouldn't 
like  a  cup  of  clam  broth.  He  said  that  The 
King  had  just  made  a  fresh  batch,  and  that  it 
was  fine.  I  scrutinized  the  fellow  closely. 
He  had  a  kindly,  youthful  face,  and  his  bear- 
ing was  agreeable.  I  answered  him  promptly 
that  good  clam  broth  was  just  what  I  wished 
to  have.  'But,'  I  demanded,  'who  the  devil 
is  The  King?  It's  a  new  one  on  me,  to  have  a 
king  for  a  chef.'    - 

"The  man  laughed  and  then  replied: 
"  ^  Oh,  The  King !     Why,  he's  only  me !' 
*'To  cut  it  short,  a  few  minutes  later  the 
broth  was  served  to  me,   along  with  some 
dainty  wafers,  and  while  I  drank  it  The  King 
and  I  made  friends." 

Van  Dusen's  tone  changed  abruptly. 
"But  let's  not  loiter  here  on  the  outside 
any  longer.     Let  us  go  into  the  presence  of 
The  King." 

So  it  came  about  that  Roy  was  duly  pre- 
sented to  The  King,  and  he  was  not  disap- 
pointed in  either  that  culinary  monarch  or 
the  throne  room.  Perhaps  his  enthusiasm 
was  the  greater  since  he  was  sorely  in  need  of 


90  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

food  to  nourish  a  mind  and  body  exhausted 
by  suffering. 

The  clam-broth  King  catered  largely  to  the 
officers  of  ocean-going  vessels.  There's  hardly 
a  master  sailing  the  main  who  has  touched 
at  Norfolk  or  anchored  in  Hampton  Roads 
diiring  recent  years  that  has  not  known  Harry 
the  clam-broth  King,  and  has  called  him 
friend.  To-day  the  usual  number  of  storm- 
bound seafaring  men  of  the  better  class  were 
gathered  aroimd  the  miniature  tables  in  the 
place.  The  King  was  very  busy  indeed, 
passing  from  group  to  group  to  see  that  none 
of  his  friends  were  neglected.  He  greeted 
Van  Dusen  with  obvious  pleasure  and  had  a 
welcoming  smile  for  the  newcomer  when  he 
was  introduced  to  Roy.  A  moment  later  Van 
Dusen  and  Roy  were  seated  at  one  of  the 
tables,  each  with  a  bowl  of  piping-hot  clam 
broth  before  him. 

But  before  the  contents  of  the  bowls  had 
been  wholly  swallowed  both  Roy  and  the 
detective  paused  to  listen  with  avid  interest 
to  the  words  of  a  mariner  seated  at  an  adjoin- 
ing table.     And  this  is  what  they  heard: 

**Yes,  boys,  it  was  some  blow  and  believe 


EFFICIENCY  OF  CLAM-BROTH      9l 


y 


me  it  is  still  a-kicking  up  good  and  plenty 
outside  the  Capes.  I  missed  the  worst  of  it. 
My  barometer  had  indicated  that  there  was 
going  to  be  some  big  doings  long  before  the 
clouds  begun  to  loom.  I  was  half  a  mind  to 
haul  to  in  the  hook  o'  the  Cape  at  Lookout, 
but  the  sky  seemed  so  clear  and  I  was  so  near 
Hatteras  that  I  made  up  my  mind  that  we 
could  get  into  the  Roads  by  crowding  the 
boilers  a  little.  I'd  a  heap  rather  be  laying 
up  close  to  the  King's  clam  broth  than  at 
that  sorry,  lonely,  Lookout  Bight.  Don't 
imderstand  me  that  I  have  got  anything 
against  that  snug  little  harbor.  I  have  every 
reason  in  the  world  not  to  have  for  she  has 
saved  my  vessel  and  my  carcass  many's  the 
time.  The  only  thing  is  that  it  is  such  a 
desert  place  on  land,  not  a  house,  not  a 
human,  with  the  exception  of  the  light- 
keeper  and  his  crew.  When  a  skipper  makes 
harbor  he  likes  it  to  be  where  there  are  some 
shore  pleasures  on  tap.  I  will  venture  that 
there  was  not  less  than  half  a  dozen  skippers 
put  in  there  to  get  away  from  this  blow  and 
every  last  one  whilst  they  knew  the  fact  of 
that  little  nook  o*   safety  being  there  had 


92  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

saved  him  and  his  ship,  was  just  a-raring  be- 
cause he  had  not  taken  a  chance  rounding 
Hatteras  and  putting  into  Hampton  Roads 
where  he  could  run  in  here  and  gossip  and 
inhale  the  fumes  of  King  Harry's  clam  broth 
and  feel  the  effects  of  his  Scotch,  while  this- 
here  West  India  hurricane  wore  herself  out. 

''You  know,  boys,  I  wish  that  I  was  a 
yachtsman  with  a  good  roll  to  back  it  up. 
Why,  do  you  know  them  fellers  take  lots  of 
chances  and  it's  very  seldom  that  they  lose 
their  craft?  Of  course,  I  have  navigated 
over  more  of  the  sea  than  you,  having  been 
coasters  all  your  lives.  And  do  you  know  there 
is  hardly  a  port  in  the  world  where  I  haven't 
seen  a  pretty,  trim  American  yacht  lying 
at  anchor  or  haven't  passed  them  on  the  seven 
seas?  And  never  have  I  foimd  one  in  great 
distress — except  for  being  out  o'  some  par- 
ticular kind  of  liquor.  With  we  fellers  it*s 
different.  We're  always  in  some  kind  o' 
trouble,  not  to  mention  being  constantly 
out  o*  all  kinds  o'  liquors.  And  then  we  are 
scairt  o'  our  lives,  or  rim  agroimd  or  burn 
up,  and  so  lose  our  master's  papers,  which 
means  our  job." 


EFFICIENCY  OF  CLAM-BROTH       93 

The  speaker  paused  to  clear  his  throat 
noisily.     Then  he  went  on: 

"Speaking  along  these  lines  reminds  me  of  a 
little  yacht  we  passed  on  the  nm  up,  off 
Ocracoke  Inlet.  She  was  a  long  ways  off 
shore,  headed  in.  But  I  guess  she  made  the 
inside  all  right  in  spite  of  the  waves  running 
high  and  breaking  and  the  strength  of  the 
wind  increasing  with  every  flaw.  Her  name 
was  The  Isabel,  And  it's  my  opinion  the 
captain  of  that  yacht  ought  to  be  in  the  crazy 
house  or  dead.'* 

Somehow  at  the  outset,  the  narrative  had 
riveted  the  attention  of  Roy  and  Van  Dusen. 
It  was  as  if  their  intuitions  warned  them  that 
something  significant  was  to  issue  from  the 
mariner's  rambling  remarks.  The  utterance 
of  the  yacht's  name  thrilled  them  both,  and 
they  stared  at  each  other  for  a  moment  with 
startled  eyes.  Then  they  listened  again  with 
new  intentness  as  the  speaker  continued  his 
account : 

"It  was  just  after  daylight.  I  had  been 
on  the  bridge  all  through  the  night,  for  I  was 
anxious  over  our  position,  should  the  hurri- 
cane break  with  full  force.    I  knew  from  the 


94  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

glass  that  it  was  close  on  us.  I  was  looking 
dead  ahead.  Suddenly  out  of  the  mist  ap- 
peared a  craft  as  white  and  trim  as  a  swan. 
She  would  plunge  forward  on  a  giant  wave, 
then  disappear  for  a  moment  in  the  trough,  to 
appear  again  right  side  up,  and  coming  at  full 
speed  to  meet  the  next  one.  She  was  driving  so 
fast  that  often  she  would  force  herself  through, 
rather  than  over,  the  oncoming  waves.  I 
just  naturally  kept  expecting  from  second  to 
second  that  that  fool  skipper,  sending  her 
along  at  such  reckless  speed,  would  bury  her 
so  deep  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  her  to 
shake  off  the  tons  of  brine,  and  so  float  on 
top  again.  If  the  fool  only  had  sense  enough 
to  slow  her  down,  I  thought  to  myself,  that 
bit  of  a  craft  would  almost  go  through  hell 
itself  without  a  scorch.  I  realized  that  we 
were  getting  dangerously  close,  for  I  was  going 
fast  before  the  wind.  So  I  quickly  gave  a 
passing-signal  blast  from  our  whistle,  indi- 
cating that  we  would  pass  her  on  the  port 
side.  What  do  you  suppose  that  fool  at  the 
wheel  did  then?  Close  as  we  were,  and  with 
no  other  reason  that  I  could  guess  other  than 
a  desire  to  court  death,  he  deliberately  an- 


EFFICIENCY  OF  CLAM-BROTH       95 

swered  my  signal  with  two  blasts.  They 
meant  that  he  was  going  to  starboard,  almost 
diagonally  across  our  bow.  I  saw  it  was  too 
late  to  correct  his  error,  so  I  simply  had  to 
accept  his  cross  signal,  and  I  did  my  best  to 
avoid  a  collision.  I  was  successful — no  thanks 
to  him.  We  missed  The  Isabel  by  a  hair.  As 
it  was,  I  thought  that  in  spite  of  all  we  could 
do  the  suction  from  our  propellers  would  draw 
in  and  crush  the  smaller  boat  against  our  side. 
I  fancy  we  missed  it  more  through  good  luck 
and  the  grace  of  God  than  through  good  man- 
agement.    And  now  what  do  you  think? 

"That  chap  at  the  wheel,  instead  of  appear- 
ing grateful  and  giving  me  three  blasts  in 
salute,  stuck  his  head  and  shoulders  out  of 
the  pilot-house  window  and  shook  his  fist  at 
me.  He  yelled,  too,  and  the  wind  brought 
the  words  down  to  me.  'You're  only  a  dirty 
tramp,  but  you  think  you  own  the  seas ! '  You 
boys  know  that  that  word  '  tramp '  for  a  good 
honest  trading  steamer  always  did  get  on 
my  nerves.  I  admit  I  swore  a  little  at  the 
bimglesome  cuss,  but  he  was  well  to  windward, 
so  I  might  just  as  well  have  saved  my  breath, 

''I  honestly  believe  that  that  ornery  fellow 


96  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

in  the  pilot  house  was  crazy  as  a  bed-bug. 
Stranger  still,  there  wasn't  another  soul  in 
sight  aboard  of  her.  I'm  thinking  I'll  report 
the  affair  to  the  inspectors.  There's  no  doubt 
in  my  mind  that  The  Isabel  weathered  the 
storm  for  the  chap  was  headin'  her  straight 
as  he  could  go  for  Ocracoke  Inlet.  As  the 
yacht  was  of  light  draft  she  could  easily  get 
over  the  bar  and  into  Pamlico  Soimd,  where 
he  could  haul  to  under  the  lea  of  the  sand 
dimes.  Down  there  that  craft  would  ride 
out  'most  anything  that  might  come  along." 

The  detective,  with  a  gesture  to  Roy  that 
he  should  remain  in  his  seat,  arose  and  crossed 
over  to  the  Captain  of  the  tramp  steamer. 
He  called  the  man  aside,  and  frankly  ex- 
plained how  he  had  overheard  the  narrative 
concerning  the  yacht  Isabel,  He  admitted 
that  this  information  was  of  vital  importance 
to  his  friend  and  himself. 

The  Captain  at  once  became  intently  inter- 
ested. Doubtless  he  foresaw  something  in 
store  for  the  yachtsman  that  would  settle 
his  own  score  against  the  fellow,  the  fellow 
who  had  reviled  him. 

''If  you  really  want  to  come  up  with  that 


EFFICIENCY  OF  CLAM-BROTH       97 

critter,"  the  mariner  declared,  "it  would  be 
the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  according  to 
my  mind,  provided  you  have  the  right  sort 
of  a  boat." 

Van  Dusen  described  his  yacht. 

'^How  much  does  this  Hialdo  of  yours 
draw?"  the  swarthy-faced  skipper  demanded. 

''She  draws,  fully  stocked,  just  eight  and 
a  half  feet  aft,"  the  detective  answered. 
''And  we  could  shift  the  gasoline  so  that  she 
would  get  through  on  eight  feet  of  water." 

The  captain  nodded  appreciatively. 

"That  fellow,  the  chances  are,  is  right  this 
minute  at  anchor  somewhere  in  Pamlico 
Sound,  or  else  he*s  cruising  around  on  some 
of  those  connecting  inland  waters.  The  one 
and  only  place  where  he  could  get  to  sea 
again  would  be  where  he  went  in  at  Ocra- 
coke,  or  else  at  Beaufort  Inlet — though  he 
might  head  for  Norfolk  by  way  of  one  of  the 
two  canal  routes.  You  can  bet  your  bottom 
dollar  that,  even  as  crazy  as  he  is,  he  won't 
tackle  the  open,  sea  just  yet  while  this  heavy 
swell  is  still  on.  It's  my  idea  you  got  your 
man  sure  enough,  for  he's  in  a  trap.  The 
thing  for  you  to  do  is  to  get  aboard  your  craft, 


98  WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

and  then  hot-foot  it  through  the  Dismal 
Swamp  Canal  for  Ocracoke  by  way  of  Albe- 
marle, Coratan  and  Pamlico  Sounds. 

''If  you  like,"  the  Captain  added  with  a 
touch  of  embarrassment  lest  he  might  seem 
officious,  ''I'll  keep  a  sharp  lookout  on  the 
other  canal,  so  that  he  can't  pass  you  while 
you're  going  through  old  Dismal.  You  might 
post  the  authorities  at  Elizabeth  City  to  keep 
an  eye  open  for  the  yacht,  and  to  detain  her 
if  she  shows  up  while  you're  rushing  on  at  full 
speed  for  Ocracoke  and  Portsmouth.  They're 
the  little  towns,  one  on  each  side  of  the  Inlet. 
If  you  don't  happen  to  find  the  outfit  at  either 
of  these  places,  there  ain't  a  particle  of  doubt 
according  to  my  judgment  that  those  folks 
can  inform  you  of  the  direction  taken  by  The 
Isabel  when  she  sailed,  for  they  keep  mighty 
close  tabs  on  every  vessel  that  comes  or  goes 
through  the  Inlet.  If  you  find  she  headed 
south  on  the  inside,  you'll  know  that  loony  is 
making  for  Beaufort  Harbor  with  the  idea  of 
waiting  there  for  the  sea  to  calm  down  before 
venturing  on  the  outside.  Or  maybe  he 
hasn't  any  intention  of  going  out  at  aU.  It 
seems  to  me  he's  more  likely  to  be  heading 


EFFICIENCY  OF  CLAM-BROTH       99 

for  some  one  of  those  tributaries  to  the  Sound 
that  are  narrow  and  deep,  with  the  shores 
covered  by  a  regular  jungle  growth.  Boats 
of  any  size  seldom  go  into  them — except 
once  in  a  while  one  run  by  a  drag-net  fisher- 
man. This  crazy  man  could  expect  to  hide 
there  for  weeks  on  a  stretch  without  danger 
of  being  disturbed.  If  it's  actually  a  case  of 
kidnapping  he's  certainly  shown  himself  as 
cimning  as  mad  folks  sometimes  are." 

The  detective  motioned  to  Roy  to  join  him 
and  the  Captain.  Then  in  a  few  crisp  words 
he  explained  the  situation  as  it  was  indicated 
by  the  mariner.  Both  he  and  Roy  joined  in 
expression  of  gratitude  to  the  skipper,  who 
gave  his  name  as  Jake  White.  Then  the  two, 
realizing  the  need  of  haste,  said  farewell, 
and  made  their  way  back  to  the  wharf  with 
what  speed  they  might. 


CHAPTER  IX 
Once  in  a  Lifetime 

TO  the  average  humane  person  the  loss 
of  a  pet,  whether  through  thievery 
or  death  itself,  brings  a  very  real 
sorrow  for  a  time.  How  much  worse  it  must 
be  for  one  who  lives  alone,  a  recluse  on  an 
island  of  sand  in  the  sea,  to  suffer  the  loss  of 
his  only  living  companion,  something  to  come 
at  his  beck  and  call,  something  that  seems 
indeed  to  reciprocate  its  master's  affec- 
tion! 

It  is  true  that  Shrimp  was  only  a  fowl — a 
Dominick  rooster  at  that.  Probably,  from  the 
standpoint  of  intelligence,  a  creature  very 
low  in  the  scale.  But  its  association  in  this 
case  had  developed  the  qualities  of  the  bird. 
The  years  of  companionship  had  brought 
man  and  rooster  to  an  intimate  imderstanding 
of  each  other. 

100 


ONCE  IN  A  LIFETI]VIE  101 

When  Captain  Ichabod  stepped  from  his 
shack,  his  pocket  bulging  with  com  for  his 
favorite,  and  saw  the  rooster  showing  afar 
off  against  the  snow-white  sand  where  he 
was  industriously  scratching,  and  whistled  a 
summoning  call.  Shrimp  would  come  racing 
toward  him  at  top  speed,  with  wings  beating 
a  rh3rthm  to  his  hurrying  legs.  Then  would 
the  rooster  greedily  pick  the  grain  of  com 
from  his  master's  homy  palm,  clucking  the 
while  guttural  notes  of  gratitude.  And  at 
such  moments  Ichabod 's  heart  would  grow 
warm  with  pleasure  in  the  realization  that  it 
was  within  his  power  thus  to  make  one  of 
God's  creatures  happy. 

When  Doctor  Hudson  came  to  the  door  of 
the  shack,  where  the  bereft  old  fisherman  sat, 
shaken  with  sorrow  over  his  loss,  he  tenderly 
smoothed  the  Captain's  wrinkled  brow.  He 
asked  to  know  the  cause  of  this  sudden 
misery. 

Ichabod,  with  a  boylike  gesture,  brushed 
away  the  tears  from  his  eyes  with  the 
back  of  his  hand.  Then  he  straightened 
himself,  and  met  the  physician's  kindly  gaze 
squarely. 


102         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

"Thar  ain't  no  call  for  explanations  when  a 
feller's  feelin's  are  teched.  Doc,  do  ye  know 
o'  some  lonely  codger  that  needs  a  good 
housekeeper?" 

The  earnest  question  came  in  such  startling 
contrast  to  the  old  man's  manner  of  a  moment 
before,  when  he  was  shaken  with  sobs,  that 
the  Doctor  was  hard  put  to  it  to  restrain  a 
burst  of  laughter.  But  by  a  great  effort  he 
limited  his  expression  of  amusement  to  a 
broad  smile  as  he  replied: 

"Yes,  I  know  one — an  old  retired  fisher- 
man by  the  name  of  Jones,  Captain  Ichabod 
Jones.  He's  a  man  who  has  weathered  many 
of  the  storms  of  life.  Now,  as  his  bark  is 
getting  nearer  to  the  last  port,  he  needs  to  be 
less  alone."  A  note  of  very  sincere  sym- 
pathy had  crept  into  the  physician's  voice. 
"He  should  no  longer  be  troubled  with  the 
cares  of  looking  after  his  own  home.  But, 
I  suppose,  there's  no  use  mentioning  this  to 
the  man  himself." 

"Yo'r  in  the  right  church,  Doc,"  replied 
the  fisherman,  "but  ye  are  approachin'  the 
wrong  pew.  Ichabod  Jones  has  proved  him- 
self this  day.     I  did  'low  that  I  was  gettin' 


ONCE  IN  A  LIFETIME  103 

sort  o'  decrepit  like,  but  this  mornin'  proved 
to  me  that  I  ain't  as  near  all  in  as  me  and  my 
friends  thought.  Didn't  I  tote  a  htmian  woman 
nigh  onto  a  quarter  of  a  mile  without 
a-hurtin'  me  a  mite?  No,  sir,  Doctor,  I  am 
the  man  that  wants_the  job.  Them  scoun- 
drels that  I  saved  has  stole  all  that  I  had  in 
the  world  to  come  home  to  and  now  I'm  ready 
to  quit  this  island  o'  mine  an'  go  an'  dust  out 
an'  cook  vituals  for  some  crabbid  old  cus- 
tomer that  is  meaner  than  me.  The  more 
he'd  quarrel  the  more  it  'ould  suit  fer  it 
'ould  take  my  mind  off  of  this  woman 
business  that  took  place  here  to-day, 
and  then  I  might  larn  to  forgit  the 
rooster.'* 

''Jones,  I  believe  you're  crazy!"  The  Doc- 
tor exclaimed  half  angrily.  Then  he  added, 
with  a  grin:  "I  guess  I'd  better  give  you  a 
sedative  to  quiet  those  overwrought  nerves 
of  yours.  Then  you  can  get  inside  the  shack, 
lie  down  on  your  bunk  and  doze  off  for  a 
spell." 

The  old  fisherman  took  the  remark  with 
all  seriousness.  His  face  grew  livid  as  he 
stared  at  the  Doctor  with  widened  eyes.     He 


104         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

stretched  to  his  ftill  height  and  spoke  in  a 
tone  of  tense  solemnity. 

''I  will  have  you  to  know,  Doctor  Hudson, 
that  never  again  will  Ichabod  Jones  occupy 
that  bunk,  for — God  A'mighty,  man! — ^it  has 
been  desecrated  by  a  woman.  Of  course, 
it  was  my  own  fault,  I  suppose.  But  then 
there  was  death  a-starin',  an'  what  could  I 
do?  When  I  built  that  hut  an*  tossed  the 
fust  blankets  on  that  bunk  I  swore  by  the 
power  that  rules  the  waters  what  washes  over 
this  sand-bank  o'  mine  that  no  woman  should 
ever  be  welcome.  An*,  by  the  Eternal,  I 
meant  it!  They  may  say  that  Icky  Jones 
has  quar  notions,  and  like  enough  he  has, 
but  when  that  woman  what  I  loved  saw  fit 
to  take  on  the  beach-comber  o'  Port  Smith 
Town,  an'  left  me  to  be  the  laughin'  stock 
o'  Cartaret  County,  I  sure  as  shootin'  made 
up  my  mind  that  it  couldn't  happen  but 
once  in  my  lifetime — an'  it  hain't — an'  it 
won't!  An'  say.  Doc,  when  that  foreign 
woman,  whilst  I  was  a-bringin'  her  to,  opened 
up  them  pretty  eyes  an'  looked  at  me  fer  the 
fust  time,  I  made  up  my  mind  or  rather  dis- 


ONCE  IN  A  LIFETIME  105 

kivered,  that  old  as  I  be  an'  quar  as  I  be,  I 
can't  trust  myself  agin  whar  that's  women. 
Sure  as  thar's  clams  and  oysters  on  them  rocks 
yonder,  I'd  play  fool,  an'  try  an'  make  it 
heigh-ho  for  the  parson.  You  see.  Doc,  it 
ain't  that  I  hate  women  that  I  located  on  this 
lonely  island.  It*s  because,  by  golly,  I'm 
afeared  of  'em.'* 

This  was  the  first  time,  so  far  as  the  physi- 
cian knew,  that  Ichabod  had  ever  thus  frankly 
confessed  the  truth  concerning  his  bitter 
marital  experience  and  its  effect  on  his  life. 
Doctor  Hudson  was  deeply  impressed  by  the 
fisherman's  display  of  emotion.  He  spoke 
seriously  in  reply: 

''Captain,  you  can't  imagine  how  glad  I  am 
to  have  heard  you  say  this.  Until  now,  I 
never  could  tmderstand  how  a  man  of  your 
honest  character  and  kind  heart  could  hate  the 
sex  to  which  we  owe  our  being,  the  sex  that 
has  done  so  much  to  make  life  more  beau- 
tiful, to  make  happiness  for  himianity.  Now, 
at  last,  I  tmderstand.  Your  seeming  hatred 
has  been  merely  a  mask  for  cowardice.  You'd 
fight  a  giant,  if  need  be — ^just  as  you  have 


106         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

fought  that  giant,  the  sea,  so  often  and  so 
bravely.  But,  just  the  same,  you're  an 
arrant  coward.  You  turn  tail  and  run  when  a 
woman's  in  question,  because  you're  afraid 
of  the  weaker  sex.  I  suspect  it's  time  for 
you  to  reform.  I  want  you  to  come  to  town 
with  me  now,  and  stay  there  until  you've 
fully  recovered  from  to-day's  excitement. 
While  you're  there,  I'll  look  round  and  see 
what  I  can  do  toward  finding  you  a  place  as 
housekeeper.'* 

Ichabod  shook  his  head  with  great  emphasis. 

"No,  sir.  Doc,"  he  declared  sturdily,  "I 
ain't  a-goin'  to  stir  a  step  fer  the  town.  But 
I'll  let  ye  tow  me  as  far  as  the  Spar  Chan- 
nel. Then  I'll  set  sail  fer  the  coast-guard  sta- 
tion. I'll  spin  my  yam  thar  to  the  boys,  an' 
like's  not  spend  the  night  with  'em.  Then  I 
reckon  I'll  come  back  to  the  Island.  But, 
fust  off,  I*ll  stop  at  your  office  an'  git  some 
fumigatin'  powders,  so's  to  fix  the  house  fit 
fer  Ichabod  again." 

The  Captain  and  the  physician  made  some 
further  examination,  which  convinced  them 
that  the  strangers  had  in  fact  left  the  Island 
by  means  of  the  wrecked  yacht's  little  tender. 


ONCE  IN  A  LIFETIME  107 

Asstired  of  this,  the  two  men  set  forth,  the 
Doctor  for  Beaufort,  Ichabod  to  pay  his  visit 
at  the  life-saving  station  near  old  Fort  Macon, 
where  he  knew  that  he  v/as  sure  of  a  royal 
welcome. 


CHAPTER  X 
Eyes  from  the  Deep 

THE  staid  little  city  of  Beaufort  had 
been  stirred  to  its  remotest  comers 
with  the  exciting  news  brought  back 
from  Ichabod's  Island  by  the  physician. 
Doctor  Hudson  had  told  the  story  to  little 
groups  here  and  there  as  he  called  upon  his 
patients.  Needless  to  say  that  a  shipwreck, 
even  though  it  be  only  that  of  a  medium-sized 
pleasure  craft,  was  enough  to  set  everyone  all 
agog  with  excitement.  And  here,  too,  there 
was  the  added  mystery,  concerning  the  young 
and  beautiful  woman  together  with  her  strange 
companion,  who  had  been  rescued  from  death 
only  to  vanish  so  inexplicably.  ~* 

Next  day,  Ichabod  quite  forgot  to  stop  at 
the  town  in  order  to  secure  the  fumigating 
powders  from  the  ph^^sician.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  he  was  accompanied  home  by  a  number 
of  the  life-saving  crew,  who  were  eager  to 

io8 


EYES  FROM  THE  DEEP  109 

survey  the  wreck  and  make  investigation  on 
their  own  account.  As  he  approached  the 
Island,  the  old  fisherman  was  astonished  to 
see  at  least  a  dozen  laimches  and  fishing 
schooners  gathered  near  the  wreck.  It  was 
low  tide,  and  all  those  aboard  the  craft 
seemed  to  be  staring  down  into  the  pellucid 
waters.  It  was  evident  that  something  of  an 
unusual  sort  attracted  their  gaze.  As  Icha- 
bod  drew  near,  accompanied  by  the  boat  from 
the  life-saving  station,  one  of  the  men,  on  a 
laimch  that  had  her  nose  resting  on  the  tiny 
beach  at  the  oyster  rocks  was  seen  to  be 
busy  arranging  a  block  and  tackle.  In  an- 
swer to  Ichabod's  hail,  he  shouted  that  there 
was  a  dead  man  in  the  wreck. 

This  information  astonished  both  Ichabod 
and  those  to  whom  he  had  told  his  story,  for 
he  had  had  no  least  suspicion  that  there  was  a 
third  person  on  the  yacht  at  the  time  of  the 
wreck.  In  answer  to  eager  questions,  the 
man  with  the  tackle  declared  that  the  body 
seemed  to  be  chained  fast  to  the  engine  of  the 
simken  boat. 

At  this  news,  the  Captain  became  greatly 
excited. 


110         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

"Men!"  he  exclaimed  in  accents  of  dismay. 
"Hain't  it  been  enough  for  this  old,  weather- 
beaten,  storm-tossed  hulk  of  an  Ichabod  to 
have  gone  through  more'n  most  young  fellers 
could  stand  without  now  havin'  a  murder  to 
be  investigated  at  his  very  door?  Didn't  ye 
hear  them  words  o'  Simmer  Jenkins?  He 
says  as  how  the  body  is  chained  to  the  ingine. 
It's  fitten,  boys,  as  we  should  go  right  plimib 
up  thar,  an'  have  a  look  fer  ourselves." 

A  few  minutes  later,  Ichabod  and  his  com- 
panions were  lying  alongside  the  wreck,  and 
were  leaning  over  gimwales,  looking  intently 
down  into  the  transparent  depths  of  the  sea. 
And  there,  sure  enough,  lay  the  form  of  a 
man,  with  distorted  features  and  wide-open 
dead  eyes  gazing  back  up  at  them.  Around 
the  waist  of  the  corpse  there  was  to  be  seen 
distinctly  the  chain  that  tightly  encircled  the 
body  and  thence  ran  to  the  engine  frame, 
around  which  it  was  twisted,  and  held  im- 
movable by  a  huge  padlock.  Thus  fettered, 
the  imfortunate  wretch  had  been  carried  down 
to  his  doom  in  the  sea. 

The  gruesome  discovery  had  been  made  that 
morning  by  pur^  chance  on  the  part  of  a 


EYES  FROM  THE  DEEP  111 

fisherman  who,  out  of  curiosity  to  view  the 
wreck,  had  brought  his  boat  up  into  the  wind 
there.  A  careless  glance  over  the  side  had 
shown  him  the  ghastly  face  of  the  corpse 
beneath  the  waves.  At  the  sight,  the  fisher- 
man had  let  his  craft  slip  off  before  the  wind. 
He  sailed  straight  to  Beaufort,  and  told  the 
town  his  news.  It  was  the  tidings  carried 
by  him  that  brought  the  morbid  crowd  of 
sightseers. 

The  combined  efforts  of  those  present  had 
been  insufficient  to  raise  the  engine  and  the 
body  of  the  dead  man  to  the  surface.  Now 
they  were  arranging  a  windlass,  with  block 
and  fall,  to  bring  the  victim  up  to  where  the 
Coroner  was  impatiently  waiting  to  perform 
his  duty.  Presently,  then,  the  energetic 
workers  secured  a  firm  hold  with  the  tackle 
on  the  engine  frame.  It  was  hauled  to  the 
surface,  bringing  with  it  the  attached  body. 
The  padlock  was  smashed,  and  the  stiffened 
form  released  from  its  iron  bonds.  Forth- 
with, the  body  was  removed  in  one  of  the 
small  boats  to  the  sandy  beach  of  Captain 
Ichabod's  Island.  The  Coroner  would  have 
preferred  that  it  shotild  be  taken  into  the 


112         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

shack  for  the  holding  of  the  inquest.  But 
when  the  official  made  his  request  to  the 
fisherman,  the  reply  was  by  no  means  favor- 
able. 

"It  seems  as  how  I  might  be  just  a  leetle 
accomidatin',  but  I  dunno,  Mr.  Coroner, 
IVe  already  got  that  place  to  fumigate  out 
on  accoimt  o'  thar  havin*  been  sickness  an' 
a  woman  present  thar.  An*  now  should  ye 
see  fitten  to  carry  that  poor  murdered  feller 
in  thar,  Uncle  Icky  would  sure  have  to  quit. 
It  *ould  be  just  a  leetle  more'n  he  could  stand. 
Don't  think  I'm  feared  o'  hants  an'  sich  fer  I 
hain't.  It's  just  this:  The  thoughts  o'  the 
poor  devil,  how  he  just  lay  thar  on  the  bottom 
with  his  eyes  wide-open,  an'  him  murdered — 
them  thoughts  would  keep  a-comin'  back. 
No,  Mr.  Coroner,  you'd  better  not  take  him 
into  the  hut — not  unless  you  aim  to  buy 
Ichabod's  Island." 

The  Coroner  yielded  to  the  old  man's  whim. 
He  ordered  the  sodden  and  twisted  form  laid 
out  decently  on  the  white  smoothness  of  the 
beach.  Then,  with  the  other  men  grouped 
about  him,  the  Coroner  selected  a  jury,  and  a 
minute  later  the  investigation  was  imder  way 


EYES  FEOM  THE  DEEP  US 

according  to  due  form  of  law.  The  only 
witnesses  who  were  examined  were  the  man 
who  had  discovered  the  corpse,  and  Ichabod. 
There  was  small  need  of  more.  For  while 
the  accoimt  of  the  finding  of  the  body  was 
completed  within  a  few  minutes,  Captain 
Ichabod's  narrative  continued  for  a  full  hour, 
during  which  he  told  everything  he  knew 
concerning  the  wreck  of  The  Isabel  and  the 
subsequent  events,  including  the  kidnapping 
of  Shrimp. 

Most  of  the  hearers,  if  not  all,  had  heard 
previously  broken  bits  of  the  narrative.  But 
now  as  they  received  the  account  in  detail 
from  beginning  to  end  they  hung  on  the  old 
fisherman's  words,  held  by  the  weird  spell  of 
this  mystery  of  the  sea. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  testimony,  the 
Coroner  charged  the  jury  briefly,  and  sent 
them  into  the  shack  to  agree  upon  a  verdict. 
The  decision  was  not  long  delayed.  Within 
ten  minutes,  the  jury  returned  to  the  beach 
and  the  foreman  announced  that  they  had 
agreed  upon  a  verdict.  This  was  to  the 
effect  that  the  man  had  come  to  his  death  at 
the  hands  of  parties  imknown,  while  confined 


114         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

against  his  will  aboard  the  gasoline  yacht 
Isabel. 

The  Coroner  complimented  the  jury  upon 
their  verdict  and  then  discharged  the  panel. 
He  next  arranged  with  one  of  the  boatmen 
present  for  the  removal  of  the  corpse  to  Beau- 
fort, where  he  meant  to  have  it  embalmed  and 
held  for  a  reasonable  length  of  time  before 
burial,  for  identification.  When  these  for- 
malities were  concluded  the  crowd  quickly 
scattered.  Some  hastened  away  to  attend 
their  nets,  which  had  been  neglected  for  many 
hours,  while  the  others  set  sail  or  cranked 
engines  for  the  voyage  home. 

Captain  Ichabod  and  his  friends  from  the 
life-saving  station  decided  that  they  would 
run  over  to  Shackleford's  Banks,  and  thence 
sail  along  shore  to  approximately  the  point 
where  Ichabod  had  seen  the  rockets  of  a  ship 
that  doubtless  went  to  pieces  in  the  surf 
during  the  night  of  the  gale.  Their  particular 
destination  was  a  place  where  the  strip  of 
sand  was  so  narrow  that  they  could  easily 
cross  it  on  foot  in  the  expectation  of  locating 
the  wreck  of  the  unfortunate  vessel.  Very 
soon  after  the  party  had  set  out,   Captain 


EYES  FROM  THE  DEEP  115 

Ichabod^s  spirits  lightened.  The  congenial 
company  of  the  coast-guard  crew,  now  that 
he  was  away  from  the  gruesome  association 
of  the  Coroner's  Court,  induced  a  reaction  in 
his  mood,  and  he  was  almost  cheerful.  His 
companions  were  anxious  to  remove  the  old 
man's  depression  and  made  kindly  effort  to 
divert  his  thoughts  into  pleasant  channels 
by  droll  stories  and  rough  banter.  When, 
finally,  the  party  went  ashore  at  Core  Banks 
and  walked  up  the  beach  along  the  edge  of 
the  breaking  surf  in  search  for  signs  of  the 
wrecked  ship,  it  was  Ichabod  that  walked 
in  the  lead  with  brisk  steps  and  animated 
face.  It  seemed  scarcely  possible  in  view  of  his 
agility  and  vigor  that  the  old  fisherman  was 
indeed  living  on  borrowed  time. 

It  was  not  long  before  they  began  to  see 
huge  timbers  that  had  been  twisted  and  rent 
asunder,  which  now  strewed  the  beach.  They 
saw,  too,  others  to  which  were  attached  sec- 
tions of  the  deck  and  the  deck-house,  which 
were  lazily  riding  back  and  forth  to  the 
rhythm  of  the  sea.  Now,  a  wave  would  drop 
its  bit  of  flotsam  upon  the  hard  sand;  then, 
a  moment  later,  one  of  greater  magnitude 


116         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

would  envelop  the  stranded  spar  or  plank  or 
piece  of  cargo,  and  with  its  backward  flow 
bear  away  the  wreckage,  to  be  again  tossed 
hither  and  yon,  until  perhaps  finally  the  tide 
at  its  Ml  would  leave  it  on  the  shore,  to  be- 
come the  spoil  of  beach-combers — those  ghouls 
ever  ready  to  take  advantage  of  the  hapless 
mariner's  mischance. 

It  was  a  fact  that  the  whole  shore  line  for 
over  a  mile  was  littered  with  parts  torn  away 
from  the  foundered  schooner.  Amid  the  mass 
were  many  barrels  of  rimi  and  of  molasses 
out  of  the  cargo.  As  the  little  squad  of  men 
from  the  station,  together  with  Captain  Icha- 
bod,  drew  near  the  strip  of  beach,  they  saw 
two  fellows  working  with  feverish  haste  to 
roll  a  barrel  of  molasses  over  the  top  of  a 
sand  dime,  and  then  down  on  the  Sound  side. 
Captain  Ichabod  scrambled  to  the  pinnacle 
of  a  near-by  hill  of  sand.  From  this  vantage 
point,  he  beheld  a  good-sized  two-masted 
sharpie  lying  near  the  shore.  The  sight  made 
him  immediately  aware  that  the  beach- 
combers from  up  the  coast  were  already  on 
the  job,  and  that  the  boat  on  the  Sound  side 
of  the  Banks  belonged  to  them.     He  knew, 


EYES  FROM  THE  DEEP  117 

too,  that  the  pair  working  so  desperately  to 
get  the  barrel  away  from  the  wreckage  were 
thus  toiling  in  haste  to  get  their  loot  aboard 
the  sharpie. 

For  certain  reasons,  Captain  Ichabod  Jones 
had  taken  a  strong  dislike  to  the  professional 
beach-combers.  He  beHeved  that  a  man  who 
would  rush  to  the  wreckage  of  a  ship  thrown 
on  a  barren  shore  away  from  civilization,  and 
would  appropriate  without  investigation  the 
valuable  articles  thus  cast  up  by  the  sea,  was 
in  very  sooth  not  a  good  citizen — ^just  a  plain 
thief.  More  than  once,  indeed,  he  had  seen 
fit  to  report  men  of  this  stripe,  and  had  caused 
them  no  little  trouble  in  the  courts  over  this 
matter  of  their  pilfering.  It  is  just  possible 
that,  had  Captain  Ichabod  not  been  robbed 
of  the  woman  he  loved  years  before  by  one 
of  this  class,  he  might  have  looked  on  their 
depredations  with  a  more  lenient  eye.  Be 
that  as  it  may,  it  remains  certain  that  he 
maintained  a  very  genuine  and  very  bitter 
spite  against  all  beach-combers. 

Captain  Ichabod  often  asserted  that  it 
was  right  for  the  natives  to  remove  to  a  place 
of  safety  above  high  tide  any  articles  of  value 


118         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

from  a  wreck  on  their  shores,  and  then  to  wait 
during  a  reasonable  time  for  the  lawful  owners 
to  make  their  claim.  But  he  had  no  toler- 
ance for  the  fellow  who  would  hurriedly  and 
secretly  remove  to  his  own  premises  goods  of 
a  salvable  sort.  He  declared  this  to  be  no 
better  than  theft. 

The  Captain  quickly  realized  now  that  here 
was  his  opporttinity.  He  motioned  to  his 
friends  from  the  station  to  go  on  toward  the 
two  men  busy  with  the  barrel.  He,  himself, 
hastened  down  the  slope  of  sand,  in  order  that 
he  might  slip  close  unseen,  and  station  himself 
between  the  beach-combers  and  their  boat. 
By  this  method  of  approach  both  he  and  the 
men  from  the  station  would  make  sure  of 
recognizing  the  offenders.  As  the  old  man 
drew  near  the  sharpie,  which  lay  with  her 
sails  flapping  idly  in  the  scant  breeze,  his  eyes 
took  in  the  name  roughly  painted  on  the  stem 
rail  of  the  boat,  and  he  stared  at  it  in  shocked 
amazement.  He  stopped  short  and  spelled 
the  words  aloud: 

''  R-o-x-a-n-a    L-e-e  !" 

At  the  soimd  of  the  name  in  his  ears,  a 
strange  expression  came  over  the  fisherman's 


EYES  FROM  THE  DEEP  119 

features.  It  was  an  expression  compounded 
of  many  warring  emotions,  which  it  might 
well  have  puzzled  an  observer  to  interpret. 
But  his  muttered  soliloquy  made  his  feeling 
clear. 

"Wall,  ril  be  plumb  damned!  Here  it  is, 
most  twenty  year  since  I  has  spoke  them  words 
an'  God  knows  I  didn't  aim  to  now,  but  bein' 
a  leetle  slow  on  spellin',  an'  kinder  beflustered 
over  identifyin'  these-here  thievin'  cusses 
they  got  out  before  I  realized  what  I  was 
sayin*.      That    boat's    named    fer    my    old 

gal!" 

Captain  Ichabod  had  no  time  for  further 
musing.  His  attention  was  attracted  by  a 
crackling  of  twigs  in  the  small  brush  on  the 
side  of  the  dime.  As  he  looked  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  sound  he  saw  hurtling  toward  him 
the  barrel  of  molasses.  The  two  beach- 
combers had  succeeded  in  topping  the  rise 
with  their  burden ;  then,  suddenly  excited  and 
confused  by  the  approach  of  the  coast-guard 
men,  they  had  tiimed  it  loose  with  a  violent 
push.  It  shot  downward  at  speed,  nor  did  it 
stop  until  it  had  reached  the  very  edge  of  the 
water  of  Core  Sound,   almost  at  Ichabod 's 


120         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

feet.  After  the  heavy  barrel  came  the  two 
plunderers,  ninning  rapidly.  One  of  them  was 
a  mere  lad,  certainly  not  more  than  nineteen 
years  of  age,  while  the  other  was  of  advanced 
years  as  was  proclaimed  by  his  deeply  lined 
face  and  gray  hair. 

As  the  two  drew  near,  Captain  Ichabod 
quickly  concealed  himself  behind  a  haw  bush, 
there  to  await  developments.  He  had  a 
particular  reason  for  not  wishing  to  be  recog- 
nized by  these  men — at  least  not  imtil  he 
should  have  had  time  to  get  his  bearings  and 
to  decide  what  course  it  were  best  to  pursue 
in  this  imexpected  situation.  For  that  mat- 
ter, he  was  half  tempted  to  leave  the  place 
without  showing  himself  and  without  de- 
nouncing the  paltry  thieves. 

Ichabod's  indecision  was  not  of  long  dura- 
tion. His  course  of  action  was  decided  more 
quickly  than  he  had  anticipated  by  the  arrival 
of  the  coast-guard  men.  They  had  hurried 
after  the  fugitives  with  some  apprehension 
lest  the  old  fisherman  might  be  roughly 
handled.  Now  the  men  descended  the  slope 
with  a  cheer,  and  in  another  moment  had 
pounced  on  the  two  cringing  wretches,  who 


EYES  FROM  THE  DEEP  121 

were  eagerly  clutching  their  ill-gotten  barrel  of 
''long  sweet 'nin',"  as  if  loath  to  give  it  up. 

This  was  not  the  first  time  that  old  Sandy 
Mason,  for  such  was  the  name  of  the  gray- 
haired  man,  had  been  driven  away  from  his 
nefarious  work  by  the  boys  from  the  station. 
Hitherto,  he  had  been  let  off  with  a  repri- 
mand. He  was  sure  that  such  would  now  be 
the  case.  Nevertheless,  his  heart  was  sore 
within  him,  for  he  knew  that  the  coming  of 
these  servants  of  Uncle  Sam  must  prevent 
him  from  taking  away  in  his  sharpie  a  whole 
winter's  supply,  and  more,  of  fine  old  Porto 
Rico  molasses — a  treasure  trove  indeed.  For 
the  dwellers  on  the  banks  have  little  butter, 
and  molasses,  when  it  is  to  be  had,  serves  in  a 
measure  as  a  substitute,  at  every  meal. 

There  was  only  a  short  struggle,  for  the 
beach-combers  offered  no  resistance,  except 
at  being  separated  from  the  precious  barrel. 
The  capture  was  chiefly  an  affair  for  merri- 
ment to  the  men  of  the  coast  guard,  and,  when 
they  finally  loosened  their  hold  of  Sandy  and 
the  lad,  his  son,  they  were  laughing  boister- 
ously at  the  despair  on  the  coimtenance  of 
the  father  and  the  yoimgster's  look  of  chagrin. 


122         WHEN  THE   COCK  CROWS 

Then,  before  a  word  was  spoken  and  while 
the  men  were  still  roaring  with  mirth,  Captain 
Ichabod  stepped  forth  from  the  shelter  of  the 
haw  tree.  He  seem.cd  to  stand  a  little  more 
erect  than  was  his  wont.  There  was  a  twinkle 
of  deHght  in  those  kindly  eyes,  a  Httle  dimmed 
by  age.  He  bore  himself  with  an  air  of  im- 
pressive manliness,  despite  the  burden  of  his 
years.  He  passed  around  the  group  until  he 
stood  directly  in  front  of  the  beach-comber 
with  the  gray  hair.  For  a  moment  he  did  not 
speak,  but  stood  motionless,  gazing  steadily 
at  the  fellow  before  him.  But,  presently,  he 
raised  his  hand  in  a  gesture  commanding 
silence.  The  laughter  of  the  coast  guard 
ceased  on  the  instant,  and  the  fisherman  spoke: 

''Men,"  he  said  in  a  steady  voice,  evidently 
weighing  each  word,  "as  I  dim  over  the  top 
o'  yonder  dime  an*  come  down  the  slope  to 
the  shore  I  saw  that  sharpie  with  her  nose 
snug-up  to  the  shore.  As  I  came  on  further 
I  saw  an'  read  aloud  her  name — Roxana  Lee. 
Right  then  was  the  fust  time  that  name  had 
passed  my  lips  in  twenty  year.  It  hurt  me 
to  speak  it,  fer  'twas  that  o'  the  only  woman 
I  have  ever  loved — or  ever  lost  until  just 


EYES  FROM  THE  DEEP  123 

lately.  The  words  was  on  my  lips  afore  I 
knowed  it.  That  woman  did  not  die,  pass 
away  like  an  honest  woman,  but  she  ran  off 
with  a  low-down  beach-comber,  whose  thiev- 
ing face  I  hain't  looked  upon — ^like  the  name 
on  the  stem  rail  o'  yonder  boat — fer  twenty 
year,  until  to-day.  Neither  have  I  spoke 
his  name.  Seein'  as  how  so  many  things  has 
been  a-happenin'  here  lately  that  is  a-changin' 
things  with  me,  I  will  say  to  you  men — that 
varmint,  that  low-down  robber  o'  the  dead 
an'  o'  the  livin'  whose  clawlike  hands  you  have 
unhooked  from  the  chymes  o'  the  barrel  con- 
tainin'  the  stolen  'lasses  that  he  hoped  to  get 
home  fer  Roxana  Lee  to  wallop  her  dodgers 
in,  is  no  less  or  no  other  than  Sandy  Mason, 
the  thief  who  stole  my  gal  twenty  year  ago, 
an'  if  I  hain't  plumb  wrong  on  family  favorin', 
that  striplin'  is  their  son." 

To  all  outward  appearance,  old  Ichabod  was 
perfectly  calm.  The  men  from  the  station 
regarded  the  speaker  with  faces  grown  sud- 
denly stem  as  they  realized  the  nature  of  the 
wrong  done  him.  Neither  Sandy  Mason  nor 
his  son  ventured  to  utter  a  syllable,  as  the 
fisherman  continued: 


124         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

"Sandy,  you  may  think  as  how  tain't  none 
o'  my  affair,  an'  that  I'd  look  a  heap  better 
to  keep  my  lip  out  o'  it.  Maybe  as  how 
that's  a  fact,  but  God  knows  when  111  ever 
get  another  chance  to  rub  it  in  hard  on  the 
likes  o'  you.  I've  heard,  year  after  year, 
that  you  was  still  at  the  old  tricks — too  lazy 
to  work,  with  your  eye  always  turned  to  the 
sea  hoping  that  some  poor  devil  would  mis- 
read his  reckonin'  an'  put  his  ship  where  you 
can  ransack  its  vitals  fer  an  easy  livin'  fer 
you  and  yours.  I'll  lay  my  all  agin  a  two 
pence  that  that  wife  o'  your'n  has  wished 
many's  the  time  that  she  had  married  an 
honest  man  an*  not  a  thief.  Judging  from 
what  I  knew  o'  her  years  ago,  I'll  allow 
that  it  mighty  nigh  breaks  her  heart  to 
see  the  man  that  infatuated  her  as  a 
gal  a-takin'  her  child  an'  a-bringin'  him 
up  in  the  ways  o'  a  thief.  Shame  on  ye, 
Sandy  Mason!  I'm  goin'  to  ask  the  boys 
to  turn  ye  loose,  an'  I  hope  to  God  that 
this  will  be  a  lesson  that  ye'll  not  soon 
forget,  an'  that  ye'll  straighten  up  an'  be 
a  man  afore  it's  too  late.  If  so  be  you 
an'   the  woman   are  past   redemption,   quit 


EYES  FROM  THE  DEEP  125 

your  thievin'  an'  beach-combin*  for  the  sake 
o*  the  boy." 

Ichabod  then  turned  to  the  lad,  and  ad- 
dressed him  in  a  kindly  voice. 

''Young  man,  I'm  sorry  to  have  had  to 
hurt  your  feelin's  with  the  truth,  an'  I  hope 
ye'll  forgive  me.  Take  this  experience  of 
to-day  as  a  wamin\  Don't  be  a  beach- 
comber. For  when  you  are,  to  my  mind,  you 
are  what  folks  call  a  grave-robber — a  ghoul. 
Now  go  home  to  your  mammy,  who  used  to 
have  some  good  thoughts.  Unless  they're  all 
gone  through  livin'  with  that  no- 'count  daddy 
o'  your'n,  she'll  tell  you  that  Captain  Ichabod 
is  right  fer  once.  Yes,  I  say,  quit  it  all!  Be 
a  man,  an'  show  folks,  that,  after  all,  it  is 
possible  to  make  a  silk  purse  out  o'  a  sow's 


ear.'* 


After  this  parting  thrust,  Ichabod  turned 
on  his  heel  without  another  word,  and  walked 
swiftly  away  down  the  shore.  The  men  from 
the  station  added  a  few  phrases  of  very  trench- 
ant advice  to  Sandy  and  his  son.  They 
waited  imtil  the  beach-combers  had  entered 
the  sharpie  and  set  sail  due  north  toward  the 
hamlet  of  Portsmouth. 


126         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

When  the  coast  guard  came  up  again  with 
Captain  Ichabod,  they  found  him  seated  on 
the  sand  hard  by  the  noisy  breakers.  Three 
Dominick  hens  clucked  about  him.  The  old 
fisherman  was  throwing  them  kernels  of  com, 
which  he  took  from  his  pocket.  The  men 
gazed  somewhat  somberly  at  the  fowls.  It 
was  plain  that  these  were  the  only  creatures 
that  had  escaped  alive  from  the  three-master 
whose  bones  littered  the  beach. 

Ichabod  looked  up  at  his  friends  with  a  wry 
smile,  that  was  touched  with  grimness. 

''Boys,"  he  remarked  whimsically,  "it  seems 
to  me  as  if  Icky  had  had  about  enough  re- 
minders fer  one  day  without  these  pesky 
Dominick  pullets  a-buttin'  in.'* 


CHAPTER  XI 
The  Awakening  of  Ichabod 

THE  door  to  the  fisherman's  shack  stood 
ajar,  and  in  the  opening  showed  the 
form  of  a  man.  As  the  Hght  from 
the  newly  risen  moon  fell  full  upon  the  wrin- 
kled features  of  the  face,  a  pleased,  contented 
smile  was  to  be  seen  as  he  placidly  puffed  his 
corncob  pipe  and  blew  rings  before  him  in  the 
quiet,  heavy,  midnight  air.  It  was  Captain 
Ichabod,  home  again  after  the  momentous 
happenings  of  the  day  when  the  dead  body 
was  found  in  the  wreck  of  The  Isabel. 

The  Captain  had  been  more  or  less  method- 
ical in  his  ways  all  his  life,  but  he  had  never 
carried  routine  so  far  as  to  keep  a  diary. 
Probably  diiring  the  past  twenty  years,  living 
the  life  he  had  upon  his  lonely  island,  there 
had  not  been  enough  of  incident  to  have  sug- 
gested even  the  idea  of  such  a  record.     But 

on  this  particular  night,  the  fisherman,  clos- 

127 


128         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

eted  within  his  shack,  had  been  toiling  through 
three  long  hours  in  order  to  set  down  a  de- 
tailed narrative  of  the  strange  happenings  in 
which  he  had  been  concerned  since  the  coming 
of  the  great  storm.  He  had  ransacked  his 
belongings  until  he  found  pencil  and  paper. 
Then,  with  his  characteristically  painstaking 
and  deliberate  manner,  he  had  indited  an 
itemized  account  of  the  various  events.  Now 
he  had  completed  his  work,  and  rested  well 
content  with  his  accomplishment.  As  he 
loimged  in  the  doorway,  he  was  taking  a 
glimpse  over  the  beautiful  expanse  of  water, 
the  while  he  smoked  a  final  pipe  before  turn- 
ing in.  He  felt  that  after  the  arduous  en- 
deavors of  the  day  he  was  entitled  to  a  soimd 
and  refreshing  sleep.  His  usual  calm  had 
returned  to  him. 

At  daylight  that  very  morning  when  he 
awakened  in  the  life-saving  station  at  old 
Fort  Macon,  he  had  felt  that  he  could  never 
again  occupy  his  old  cabin  home.  Yet,  here 
he  was  at  night,  resting  well  satisfied,  without 
any  qualm  whatsoever.  The  exciting  hap- 
pening of  the  day — perhaps  especially  the 
opportunity  to  tell  his  old  rival  just  what  he 


THE  AWAKENING  OF  ICHABOD     129 

thought  of  the  fellow — ^had  proved  a  balm  to 
his  over-strained  nerves.  He  had  come  back 
home  with  a  firm  resolve  to  continue  on 
there  in  tranquillity,  and  to  enjoy  to  the  fvill 
the  days  that  were  before  him.  It  is  true 
that  he  missed  Shrimp.  But,  after  mature 
meditation  on  the  matter  of  the  fowl's  going 
away,  the  fisherman  had  about  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  in  all  probability  he  had 
gone  of  his  own  free  will  and  accord.  It 
occurred  to  the  Captain  as  possible  that  the 
bird  might  have  been  peeved  by  his  master's 
sailing  away  without  him  as  he  hurried  to 
Beaufort  Town  in  quest  of  Doctor  Hudson. 
Ichabod  believed  that  Shrimp  had  seen  his 
opportunity  to  cross  to  the  mainland  with 
the  strangers  and  had  seized  on  it  in  the  hope 
of  being  able  at  last  to  fight  it  out  with 
his  rooster  rival,  whose  challenging  salute 
had  been  tantalizing  him  for  many  a  day. 
Ichabod  chuckled  as  he  expressed  the  wish, 
that  Shrimp's  encounter  with  this  rival  might 
give  him  as  much  sacisf action  as  had  his  own 
with  the  beach-comber. 

Now,   under  the  flow  of  his  meditations, 
the  old  man  grew  loquacious.     He  went  into 


130         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

the  shack,  shut  the  door  and  Hghted  the 
lamp.  Then  he  sprawled  at  ease  in  his  fav- 
orite chair,  and  since  there  was  no  other 
auditor  at  hand,  talked  to  himself. 

"Wall!  I  reckon  I  have  larned  a  heap  this 
day.  The  most  important  fact  is  that  Icky 
Jones  has  been  a  fool  for  over  twenty  year. 
Jest  because  a  no- 'count  woman  took  a 
notion  in  her  haid  that  she  had  rather  marry 
a  beach-combin'  thief  than  an  honest  fisher- 
man I  have  made  myself  hate  all  o'  the  rest 
o'  the  gender,  or  least-wise  to  keep  away 
fr'm  'em,  an'  lead  a  miserable  lonely  life. 
Why!  do  ye  know,  I  believe  that  when  I 
spimked  up  an'  told  old  Sandy  Mason  what  I 
thought  o'  him  an'  his  callin',  an'  rubbed  it 
in  some  on  the  poor  kid,  that  it  did  me  more 
good  than  a  dost  o'  medicine.  It  sure  put 
sand  in  my  craw  an'  made  me  feel  like  fightin' 
every  mean  thing  livin'.  If  I  hadn't  been  a 
narrow-fool,  an'  awful  sot  in  my  way,  in- 
stead o'  takin'  the  loss  of  Roxana  Lee  to 
heart,  I'd  'a'  braced  up  an'  gone  right  ahead 
an'  looked  fer  one  o'  the  right  sort.  I've 
learned  jest  a  short  time  back  that  I'd  gone 
off   on   the   wrong   track.     When   I   revived 


THE   AWAKENING  OF  ICHABOD    131 

that  fine-lookin'  foreign  woman  an*  she  opened 
those  eyes — such  beautiful  brown  eyes! — 
an'  looked  at  me  so  appealin'-like  an'  called 
me  Doctor,  I  jest  couldn't  he'p  but  wish  that 
she'd  talk  to  me  a  leetle  more,  but  fate  was 
agin  me,  an'  she  was  mimi  as  an  adder.'' 

Captain  Ichabod  fell  silent  as  he  undressed 
for  the  night,  extinguished  the  light  and 
stretched  himself  luxuriously  on  his  bed. 
As  he  snuggled  down  into  the  blankets  with 
a  capacious  yawn,  he  drowsily  spoke  aloud 
yet  once  again. 

"Wall,  hanged  if  I  'lowed  this  momin' 
when  I  woke  up  at  the  station,  that  to-night 
I'd  be  a-layin'  here  so  peaceable-like  an' 
jest  a-pinin'  fer  sleep.  This  shack  an'  this 
bunk  has  had  a  woman  in  'em,  but  I  don't 
reckin  it  has  hurt  'em  none  after  all.  I  can 
sleep,  you  bet.  Uncle  Icky  may  dream  a 
leetle  might,  but  it  won't  be  about  Roxana 
Lee." 

It  was  not  until  the  sim  was  more  than  an 
hour  high  that  the  old  fisherman  opened  his 
eyes  again  to  the  realization  that  another  day 
had  come.  When  he  felt  the  warm  rays  of  the 
summer  sun  upon  his  cheek  he  knew  that  he 


132         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

had  slept  beyond  his  usual  time  of  waking, 
which  stirred  him  to  a  fleeting  anger  against 
himself.  He  got  up  quickly,  and  while  he 
dressed,  admonished  himself  harshly. 

'*  Betwixt  the  rust  o'  time  an'  a  thievin' 
yachtsman,  ye're  plumb  out  o'  time,  Ichabod. 
If  ye  aim  to  be  a  successful  fisherman  in  the 
future  as  in  the  past,  you  must  either  find  ye 
another  rooster,  or  buy  a  clock,  an'  I  reckin 
that  a  clock,  what  will  run,  but  can't  run  away, 
is  the  thing  fer  you." 

Breakfast  over,  Ichabod  busied  himself  in 
getting  his  nets  and  other  fishing  para- 
phernalia straightened  out,  for  in  his  hurry 
to  put  them  out  of  harm's  way  as  the  big 
blow  came  on,  he  had  got  them  pretty  badly 
tangled.  It  was  mid-forenoon  before  he  con- 
sidered that  things  about  the  shack  and  door 
yard  were  about  as  they  should  be  at  the 
place  of  a  first-class  fisherman.  Occasion- 
ally as  he  worked,  he  would  glance  toward 
the  oyster  rocks,  where  lay  the  remains  of 
The  Isabel,  and  he  would  wonder  once  again 
what  could  have  been  the  occasion  of  the 
curious  crime  that  had  resulted  in  the  death 
of  the  man  chained  to  the  engine.     But  all 


THE  AWAKENING  OF  ICHABOD    133 

his  musings  brought  only  increased  perplex- 
ity, tintil  his  wits  were  totally  befuddled. 
He  dare  be  sure  only  that  the  yachtsman 
he  had  rescued  was  either  a  villain  or  a 
maniac. 

It  was  a  custom  in  the  Sound  Country  for 
the  natives  at  frequent  intervals  to  favor 
their  preacher,  their  doctor  and  the  editor 
of  the  gossipy  local  newspaper  with  a  gift  of 
something  attractive,  either  grown  in  their 
vegetable  gardens,  or  taken  from  the  waters 
round  about.  In  this  respect,  Ichabod  was 
not  different  from  his  neighbors  of  the  other 
islands  and  the  mainland.  Many  a  time  and 
oft,  after  he  had  made  a  particularly  good 
catch  of  the  delicious  stone  crabs  or  scallops, 
he  had  set  sail  to  carry  an  offering  of  the  del- 
icacies to  friends  in  the  town.  To-day,  after 
he  had  finally  established  order  in  his  house 
and  among  his  accoutrements,  he  shouldered 
his  clam  fork,  and,  carrying  a  large  bucket 
to  hold  the  catch,  strode  out  on  the  point. 
The  tide  was  extremely  low,  and  Ichabod 
was  aware  that  now  was  the  time  to  reach 
the  place  where  round  clams  grew  in  great 
abundance.     The  old  man  was  an  expert  at 


134         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

locating  these  shell-fish.  The  keyhole  sign 
made  by  them  in  the  sand  was  so  familiar 
to  him  that  he  could  walk  along  at  a  smart 
pace,  while  peering  alertly  here  and  there  in 
search  of  it.  When  his  eyes  caught  the 
mark,  he  would  strike  quickly  with  his  fork 
into  the  yielding  sand,  and  so  bring  to  the 
surface  one  of  the  luscious  bivalves.  On  this 
occasion,  Ichabod  filled  his  bucket  well  within 
the  hour,  and  then,  content,  retiuned  to  the 
shack  for  a  midday  meal. 

When  he  was  done  eating,  the  fisherman 
washed  the  clams  carefully  and  wrapped  them 
in  a  neat  bundle.  He  then  took  them  on 
board  the  skiff,  and  made  sail  for  Beatifort 
Town,  to  pay  his  promised  visit  to  Doctor 
Hudson,  and  to  present  him  with  the  morn- 
ing's catch,  which  was  of  particularly  good 
quality.  In  addition,  he  was  prompted  to 
the  trip  by  anxiety  to  learn  if  an3rthing  had 
been  heard  in  the  town  as  to  the  identity  of 
the  yacht  Isabel,  or  of  those  who  voyaged 
in  her. 

On  this  occasion,  the  customary  group  of 
loungers  was  not  present  on  the  shore  to 
welcome  the  little  red  skiff  and  her  skipper. 


THE  AWAKENING  OF  ICHABOD     135 

The  quay  was  practically  deserted.  The 
fishing  fleet  had  put  to  sea  again  in  order  to 
take  advantage  of  as  many  days  as  possible 
with  favorable  weather  for  their  labor.  Icha- 
bod  made  his  boat  fast,  and  then  with  his 
bimdle  of  clams  took  his  way  at  once  to  the 
physician's  house.  Doctor  Hudson  himself 
met  the  fisherman  at  the  threshold  with  a 
warm  handshake. 

"Why,  Ichabod!"  he  exclaimed,  with  a 
cheery  smile.  "Now,  what  in  the  world  has 
come  over  you?  In  all  my  life  I  don't  think 
I  ever  saw  such  a  change  for  the  better  in  a 
man's  appearance  within  the  few  hours  since 
I  saw  you  last.  I  guess  that  wrecks  and 
strange  women  and  the  finding  of  dead  men 
in  the  sea  agree  with  you." 

Ichabod  grinned  assent. 

"Yes,  Doctor,  I  'low  that  I'm  improved  a 
sight,"  he  replied  enthusiastically.  "I  come 
down  to  bring  ye  a  few  clams,  an'  to  tell  ye 
that  since  I  saw  ye  I  found  a  housekeepin' 
job  fer  life.  An'  so,  while  I'm  obleeged  to 
ye  fer  a-keepin'  your  weather  eye  open  fer 
me,  why,  ye  needn't  no  more,  fer  I've  beat 
ye  to  it." 


136         VrSEN  THE   COCK  CROWS 

Doctor  Hudson  looked  a  little  disconcerted. 

"Why,  Ichabod,  are  you  really  goin'  to 
leave  the  Island?** 

The  fisherman  shook  his  head  solemnly. 

"No,  sir,  I  ain't  a-goin*  to  leave  the  Island 
except  on  business,  an*  to  call  on  my  friends. 
I've  took  the  job  right  thar.  I've  done  hired 
out  to  the  new  Ichabod  Jones,  an*  I  cal'late 
I'll  be  the  most  satisfactory  help  ole  Icky 
ever  had." 

"What  in  the  world  do  you  mean?**  the 
Doctor  questioned,  with  much  perplexity. 
"I'd  suppose  you  were  clean  crazy,  if  it 
weren't  for  a  mischievous  twinkle  in  your 
eye.  Come  on  now,  and  tell  me  what  really 
has  happened.  I  am  interested  all  right,  for 
it  must  have  been  something  important  to 
make  this  remarkable  change  in  you,  which  I 
can't  imderstand.'* 

Ichabod  nodded  sagely  before  he  replied. 

"Right  you  are,  Doctor.  But  it  took  a 
heap  more  than  a  sudden  scare  like  what 
cured  the  feller  with  the  hiccoughs.  Yes, 
it  took  more'n  that  to  cure  me.  You  know. 
Doc,  I  think  now,  as  how  I  was  diseased." 

The  physician  perceived  that  nothing  was 


THE  AWAKENING  OF  ICHABOD    137 

to  be  gained  by  any  attempt  at  htirrying  the 
old  man. 

"Come  on  into  the  house,"  he  urged, 
'*and  make  yourself  comfortable  while  you 
tell  me  the  whole  story." 

As  the  two  came  into  the  reception-room, 
the  Captain  fumbled  in  his  inside  coat  pocket 
for  a  moment,  and  then  carefully  drew  forth 
his  narrative  of  the  events  in  which  he  had 
been  concerned  during  the  last  few  days.  He 
handed  this  to  the  physician  as  the  two 
seated  themselves  by  the  open  window. 

"Doctor,"  Ichabod  declared  with  gravity, 
"I  never  did  think  as  how  I  was  a  partic'lar 
good  story-teller,  an'  knowin'  as  how  you 
an'  one  or  two  other  friends  o'  mine  would 
have  to  know  the  story,  I  made  up  my  mind 
last  night  that  I'd  put  it  into  writ  fer  you- 
all,  so  then  thar  couldn't  be  no  dispute  as 
to  the  exact  words  of  Ichabod.  The  story 
starts  right  from  the  beginning  o'  the  blow, 
A  part  of  it,  the  first  part,  you  already  know, 
so  jest  skip  along  until  ye  come  to  whar 
Sandy  Mason  shows  up." 

Doctor  Hudson  perused  the  document  with 
great  interest.     The  imconscious  drollery  of 


138         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

the  old  man*s  literary  style  gave  piquancy  to 
the  account.  At  times,  the  fisherman's  bits 
of  humor  were  amusing  enough;  again,  there 
was  often  pathos  of  a  very  genuine  sort,  in 
the  paragraphs.  But  as  the  physician  neared 
the  end  of  the  roughly  written  record,  the 
Captain  interrupted  him. 

''Say,  Doc,"  he  asked,  *' would  ye  mind 
a-readin'  o'  that  last  stanzy  right  out  loud? 
I  think  it  has  got  stuff  in  it  that'll  make  my 
blood  warm  up  a  heap  to  hear  it  read." 

The  doctor  nodded  assent,  for  he  at  this 
moment  reached  the  paragraph  by  which  the 
old  man  set  such  store. 

"I,  Ichabod  Jones,"  the  words  ran,  "age 
unknown,  bein'  as  how  the  family  Bible  was 
burnt  up,  announces  to  my  friends,  all  an' 
sundry,  that  fer  the  past  twenty  year  I've 
been  a  coward  an'  a  fool,  but  was  not  a-knowin' 
of  the  same  imtil  to-day.  I  ain't  been  called 
to  preach  nor  nothin'  like  that.  I  has  jest 
woke  up!  From  this  day  on  to  the  end  o' 
me  in  this  world,  I  aim  to  git  all  o'  the  honest 
enjoyment  I  kin  out  o'  this  life.  An'  I  want 
my  friends  to  know  that  the  rule  for  twenty 


THE  AWAKENING  OF  ICHABOD    139 

year  as  made  an'  provided  has  been  busted. 
From  this  day  forward  women,  ole  an'  young, 
will  find  a  welcome  on  the  shore  an'  in  the 
shack  at  Ichabod's  Island." 


CHAPTER  XII 
Toward  the  Unknown 

WHEN  Captain  Ichabod  left  the  Island 
in  haste  to  get  medical  help  for  the 
unconscious  Ethel  Marion,  Doctor 
Gifford  Garnet  stood  before  the  shack  and 
watched  the  red  skiff  as  it  rose  and  fell  on  the 
billows  until  it  was  well  on  its  way  to  Beau- 
fort. Then,  with  a  smile  of  satisfaction,  he 
turned  and  entered  the  abode  where  the  girl 
was  lying  with  no  sign  of  life  save  the  gentle 
rh3rthm  of  the  bosom  as  it  rose  and  fell  with 
her  breathing.  Now,  once  again,  he  knelt 
by  the  bedside.  For  a  little,  he  stroked  the 
forehead  with  deft  fingers,  then  touched  her 
wrist  and  counted  the  pulse.  It  was  evident 
that  he  found  the  condition  of  his  patient  sat- 
isfactory, for  a  pleased  expression  came  in 
place  of  the  anxiety  that  had  hitherto  marked 

his  features. 

140 


TOWARD  THE  UNKNOWN         141 

Leaving  the  bedside,  Doctor  Garnet  went 
to  the  kitchen  stove,  where  he  opened  the 
oven  door  and  took  out  the  batteries  he  had 
removed  from  the  Httle  cedar  tender.  The 
intense  heat  of  the  oven  had  thoroughly  dried 
these,  so  that  they  were  again  in  working 
condition,  together  with  the  spark  coil.  The 
Doctor  carried  the  attachments  from  the 
shack  to  the  launch,  in  which  he  installed 
them.  This  accomiplished,  he  succeeded,  after 
a  great  deal  of  straining  effort,  in  getting 
launched  the  small  craft,  which  had  been  left 
high  up  on  the  sand.  By  means  of  an  oar,  he 
paddled  the  boat  around  to  the  Captain's 
miniature  wharf.  He  made  it  fast  here  and 
then  busied  himself  in  tuning  up  the  engine. 
When  at  last  it  was  running  smoothly,  he 
threw  in  the  clutch,  and  steered  the  launch 
toward  the  wreck  of  The  Isabel.  As  he  neared 
the  oyster  rocks,  he  slowed  down  the  engine, 
and  ran  directly  over  the  sunken  part  of  the 
vessel.  There,  he  peered  intently  over  the 
side  into  the  depths  of  the  water.  Of  a 
sudden,  he  drew  back  as  if  in  fright,  and  his 
face  became  ghastly  pale.  He  threw  in  the 
clutch  and  steered  at  full  speed  back  for  the 


142         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

landing.  One  glimpse  of  the  dead  eyes  glar- 
ing up  at  him  had  sufficed.  Though  he  was  a 
physician,  inured  to  dreadful  sights,  he  quailed 
before  this  hideous  spectacle. 

At  the  landing,  he  hurriedly  made  the  boat 
fast,  and  then  ran  swiftly  to  the  shack.  He 
disappeared  for  a  moment  inside,  and  then 
came  forth  bearing  his  medicine  case  and 
blankets.  He  stowed  the  case  in  the  launch 
and  spread  out  the  blankets  in  the  bow.  This 
done,  he  returned  to  the  shack.  When  he 
issued  from  it  again,  he  staggered  under  a 
burden  almost  too  great  for  his  strength — 
the  unconscious  form  of  Ethel  Marion.  He 
bore  her  with  what  haste  he  could  to  the  land- 
ing and  gently  placed  her  within  the 
blankets. 

At  this  moment,  Doctor  Garnet  looked  in 
all  reality  the  part  of  a  wild  man.  He  was 
coatless  and  hatless.  The  strong  breeze  made 
new  tangles  in  his  already  disheveled  hair. 
Then,  through  long  seconds,  he  stood  staring 
bleakly  at  the  distorted  and  broken  yacht. 
Abruptly  there  came  from  his  lips  a  weird 
wail  of  distress.  That  cry  meant  that  every- 
thing good  in  life  was  over  for  him.    His 


TOWARD  THE  UNKNOWN         143 

face  set  in  sullen  lines,  as  he  loosed  the  painter 
and  seated  himself  aft  by  the  engine.  He 
opened  the  throttle,  and,  heading  to  the 
northward,  soon  left  the  sands  of  Ichabod's 
Island  and  those  staring  eyes  of  the  dead  man 
far  behind. 

So  absorbed  had  the  Doctor  been  in  his 
purpose  of  flight  that  he  failed  even  to  see 
the  action  of  Shrimp.  Just  as  the  latmch 
began  to  move  away  from  the  wharf,  the 
rooster  leaped  lightly  to  the  forward  deck. 
It  never  occurred  to  him  that  he  might  be 
imwelcome.  He  entered  the  boat  as  he  would 
have  the  skiff  for  a  voyage  with  Ichabod. 
He  was  a  sociable  bird,  and  fond  of  a  cruise. 
When  the  opportunity  offered  he  seized  on  it 
with  pleased  promptness.  By  the  time  that 
Doctor  Gifford  Garnet  chanced  to  observe 
Shrimp's  presence,  the  launch  was  at  such  a 
distance  from  the  Island  that  it  would  have 
been  folly  for  him  to  turn  back  for  the  sake 
of  restoring  the  creature  to  its  place. 

The  laimch  tossed  and  pitched  dangerously 
when  it  came  into  the  broad  reaches  of  Core 
Sound.  It  seemed  indeed  at  times  that  it 
must  inevitably  be  swamped.     But  the  Doc- 


144         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

tor  had  skill  and  daring,  and  now,  in  the  face 
of  this  new  danger,  he  was  cool  and  resoiirce- 
ful.  Here  there  were  no  rocks  to  increase 
the  danger  as  there  had  been  at  Ichabod's 
Island,  and  eventually  he  guided  the  laimch 
to  safety  tinder  the  lea  of  the  wooded  shore 
of  the  mainland.  ^ 

The  first  intention  of  Garnet  was  to  make  a 
landing  in  order  to  await  the  coming  of  night, 
when,  as  he  knew  from  past  experiences,  the 
wind  would  almost  certainly  fall,  after  which 
the  voyage  could  be  resumed  without  danger 
and  in  comparative  comfort.  The  Doctor 
found,  however,  that  his  plan  was  impossible 
of  execution.  To  his  discomfiture,  he  per- 
ceived that  the  heavily  wooded  shore  was 
nothing  other  than  a  vast  swamp,  without 
an3rwhere  a  dry  spot  on  which  to  step  foot. 
Upon  making  this  discovery,  he  allowed  the 
boat  to  drift  a  short  distance  away  from  the 
land,  and  then  dropped  overboard  the  tiny 
anchor. 

After  the  launch  was  made  secure,  the  Doc- 
tor took  from  his  pocket  the  hypodermic 
syringe.      The  vial   accompanying   it,   how- 


TOWARD  THE  UNKNOWN         145 

ever,  was  empty.  Garnet  searched  feverishly 
through  his  medicine  case,  at  first  in  despair, 
for  he  feared  that  he  had  no  more  of  the 
drug.  But  at  last  he  uttered  an  ejaculation 
of  triumph  as  he  drew  forth  a  small  bottle  of 
the  narcotic.  He  removed  the  cork  and 
dropped  the  pellets  into  the  palm  of  his  hand. 
He  coimted  them  rapidly,  before  replacing 
all  but  one  in  the  bottle.  The  quantity  of 
the  drug  was  so  small  as  to  fill  him  with  the 
worst  apprehensions.  A  man  held  as  was 
Garnet  in  the  clutch  of  an  evil  habit  would 
be  placed  in  a  horrible  position,  were  he  to 
run  out  of  his  morphia  supply,  while  thus 
storm-bound  along  the  desolate  shores  of 
Core  Sound.  He  shuddered  at  the  dreadful 
thought  of  such  catastrophe.  Then  he  tried 
to  forget  the  hatmting  fear,  the  while  he  made 
his  preparations  for  loading  the  syringe. 
Though  his  fastidiousness  was  revolted,  he 
had  no  choice  but  to  use  the  brackish  water 
from  over  the  side  to  dissolve  the  pellet  for 
the  shot.  When,  finally,  the  task  was  com- 
pleted and  the  syringe  duly  charged,  he  did 
not  again  bare  the  girl's  arm  for  an  injection. 


146         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

Now  that  his  stock  was  running  low,  perhaps 
his  selfishness  forbade  any  bestowal  of  the 
drug  on  another;  or,  perhaps,  his  trained 
eye  told  him  that  the  further  stupefying  of 
her  would  react  dangerously.  So,  the  liqmd 
in  its  entirety  was  forced  into  his  own  arm 
through  the  needle's  puncture.  It  was  only 
a  matter  of  a  few  minutes  before  the  efHcacy 
of  the  drug  was  made  manifest.  The  ner- 
vousness that  had  marked  the  physician's 
manner  fell  away  from  him.  His  countenance 
wore  a  serene  aspect.  Presently  he  settled 
himself  comfortably  on  an  upholstered  seat 
and  then  without  more  ado  fell  sound 
asleep. 

Garnet  did  not  awaken  until  the  shades  of 
night  were  fast  settling  over  the  waters.  In 
all  probability,  he  would  have  slumbered  on 
much  longer,  had  it  not  been  for  his  acutely 
sensitive  hearing,  which  caught  the  sound  of 
a  tiny  voice.  It  was  hardly  more  than  a 
whisper  that  issued  from  out  the  blankets  in 
the  bow.  It  was  the  voice  of  Ethel  Marion 
calling  him.  This  was  the  first  time  she  had 
spoken  since  the  moment  of  semi-consciousness 
upon  the  Island  when  she  had  been  revived 


TOWARD  THE  UNKNOWN         147 

by  the  ministrations  of  Captain  Ichabod. 
Now  she  spoke  once,  and  again,  the  single 
word: 

^'Doctor!" 

Garnet    sprang    up    and    hurried    to    her 
side. 

"Yes,  Miss  Marion,''  he  exclaimed  sooth- 
ingly as  he  came  to  her. 

As  he  knelt  by  her  side,  she  bade  him  wel- 
come with  a  smile  in  which  pleasure  and  con- 
fidence were  blended.  Indeed,  the  girl  felt 
that  she  was  quite  safe  from  any  possibility 
of  harm  while  in  the  company  of  the  trusted 
family  physician.  But  she  realized  that  she 
was  very  weak,  and,  too,  her  mind  was  by 
no  means  clear.  She  was  unaware  that  she 
was  in  fact  hundreds  of  miles  distant  from 
home  and  friends.  She  rested  in  a  reclining 
position  so  that  the  gimwales  of  the  laimch 
were  high  enough  to  shut  off  a  vision  of  the 
shore.  Otherwise,  the  luxuriant  swamp  growth 
must  have  shown  her  that  she  was  far  south 
of  New  York  Harbor.  Ethel  was  familiar 
with  the  Sound  Country  from  having  trav- 
ersed it  in  voyaging  to  and  from  Florida 
points.     Could  she  now  have  seen,  she  would 


148         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

have  recognized  the  giant  gum  trees  and 
cypress,  garnished  with  festoons  of  Spanish 
moss  that  swayed  gently  under  the  impact  of 
the  lessening  breeze. 

*'  Oh,  Doctor!  "  she  queried.  **  Have  I  been 
ill?  I  feel  so  strange  in  my  head,  and  I  am 
so  weak,  and,  oh,  so  hungry!" 

''Yes,  Miss  Marion,"  replied  Garnet  in  his 
most  suave  manner,  '^you  have  been  ill,  but 
are  now  very  much  improved.  If  you  will 
just  lie  qmet  and  try  to  sleep  a  little  more,  I 
will  soon  have  you  where  you  can  have  plenty 
of  good  things  to  eat,  and  your  strength  will 
return  as  rapidly  as  it  left  you.  Fm  not 
going  to  tell  you  more  at  this  time.  I  shall 
wait  until  you've  had  some  nourishment  and 
are  strong  enough  to  listen  to  a  long 
story."  "- 

Ethel  forbore  further  questioning.  She  sim- 
ply smiled  again  and  resimied  her  sleep.  Gar- 
net drew  out  the  hypodermic  syringe,  then 
hesitated.  He  remembered  how  limited  was 
his  stock  of  morphia.  After  a  moment  more 
of  doubt,  he  shook  his  head  decidedly  and 
restored  the  syringe  to  his  pocket.  It  was 
only  too  apparent  to  him  that  he  must  hus- 


TOWARD  THE  UNKNOWN         149 

band  his  supply  with  miserly  care  if  he  woiild 
not  suffer  the  tortures  of  the  damned. 

Garnet  slipped  quietly  back  to  his  place  by 
the  engine.  The  sky  was  now  quite  clear 
again,  and  as  the  darkness  deepened  the  wind 
continued  to  fall,  until  there  was  almost  per- 
fect calm.  It  was  safe  enough  now  for  the 
little  boat  to  proceed  on  her  way.  The  Doc- 
tor raised  the  anchor  and  started  the  engine. 
He  steered  out  from  the  shore  resolutely, 
without  any  sign  of  wavering,  heading  toward 
the  northward.  But  for  what  port  he  sailed 
was  the  secret  of  his  own  drug-crazed  brain 
alone.  Was  it  his  intention  to  hide  away  for 
a  time  in  some  sparsely  settled  section  of  the 
Sound  country,  where  he  could  depend  upon 
getting  supplies  from  the  kind-hearted,  sim- 
ple-living coast  dwellers?  Or  did  he  mean 
to  go  back  over  the  way  he  had  come  in  this 
frail  craft?  To  do  this,  could  have  but  one 
ending — the  final  disaster. 

The  heavy  darkness  of  the  early  night 
hours  was  soon  dispelled.  Far  to  the  east-- 
ward,  the  golden  moon  at  the  full  came 
creeping  up  from  behind  a  huge  sand  dune 
upon  Core  Banks.     Its  gentle  luminousness 


150         WHEN  THE   COCK:  CROWS 

fell  over  the  expanse  of  water  and  showed  the 
launch  clearly  as  it  voyaged  toward  the  un- 
known. .  .  .  And  that  same  radiance  shone 
upon  a  lover  seeking  wildly  for  the  girl  of  his 
heart — and  seeking  in  vain. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
Among  the  Fisherfolk 

THIS  night  was  not  different  from  other 
nights  along  the  western  shores  and 
estuaries  of  the  Sound  Country.  For 
that  matter,  the  people  of  the  Hunting  Quar- 
ter and  Cedar  Island  section  are  not  very 
greatly  changed  in  their  manners  and  customs 
from  those  of  their  forebears  of  many  genera- 
tions ago.  Grouped  in  small  settlements  of 
just  a  few  houses  each,  they  live  there  to-day 
after  the  fashion  of  those  same  forebears  in 
almost  every  detail.  The  houses  are  the  same 
or  at  least  they  are  carefully  patterned  after 
those  built  by  the  first  settlers  so  many  gen- 
erations ago. 

There  is  no  doubt  concerning  the  ancestry 
of  these  folk.  A  little  conversation  with  the 
natives  is  enough  to  make  one  realize  that 
he  is  listening  here  to  a  speech  redolent  of 
the  days  of  Chaucer,  a  speech  richly  flavored 

151 


152         WHEN  THE   COCK  CROWS 

with  the  colloqtdalisms  of  the  Elizabethan 
era.  Some  of  the  famiHar  folk-lore  tales 
might  well  have  emanated  from  the  poet 
himself,  both  for  their  language  and  their 
spirit. 

And  these  descendants  of  an  early  English 
stock  have  preserved  not  only  the  ancient 
speech,  but  they  have  maintained  the  gener- 
ous courtesy  of  a  former  time,  when  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh  spread  his  mantle  in  the  mire 
in  order  that  his  queen  might  pass  dry  shod. 
And  real  courtesy  includes  always  an  imhes- 
itating  and  imgrudging  hospitality.  The 
dwellers  in  this  isolated  region  are  surpassed 
by  none  in  their  warm  welcome  of  any  way- 
farer who  may  come  to  them. 

They  have  no  highway  or  railroad  connec- 
tion with  the  outside  world.  The  only  means 
is  voyaging  by  small  boats,  a  method  neces- 
sarily slow  at  the  best,  and  often  quite  im- 
possible. It  is  claimed  that  good  roads  and 
the  railways  are  essential  factors  in  the  edu- 
cation of  any  community,  and  the  claim  is, 
doubtless,  just.  But  it  would  be  well,  per- 
haps, if  some  of  those  who  boast  of  their 
education  were  to  be  cast  among  these  illit- 


AMONG  THE  FISHERFOLK         153 

erates,  there  to  gain  a  new  appreciation  of 
their  own  language,  shorn  of  its  modem 
barbarities  and  the  atrocities  of  slang.  It  is 
a  curious  fact  that  many  of  these  persons  who 
can  neither  read  nor  write,  nevertheless, 
possess  a  vocabulary  beyond  that  of  many  a 
grammar-school  graduate.  Schools  have  been 
few  and  far  between  in  this  lonely  place.  Yet 
the  very  isolation  has  tended  to  preserve  the 
purity  of  the  local  speech.  ' 

To-night  the  inhabitants  of  the  settlement 
are  resting  upon  their  tiny  porches,  for  the 
air  is  over- warm  and  only  the  slightest  bit  of 
breeze  is  stirring.  What  little  there  is  of  it 
comes  from  the  forest  hard  by,  and  brings 
with  it  a  plague  of  numberless  mosquitoes. 
Because  of  them  a  huge  smudge  is  kept  going 
close  beside  every  house.  But  for  this  defense 
the  insects'  victims  would  be  forced  to  take 
refuge  within  doors,  with  every  window  and 
door  fast  shut.  But,  after  all,  they  are  ac- 
customed to  this  affliction  whenever  the  wind 
blows  off  the  land.  They  seem  to  suffer 
little,  if  at  all,  from  the  volume  of  smoke 
that  would  strangle  the  unaccustomed.  It 
would  seem  indeed  that  they  would  require 


154         WHEN  THE   COCK  CROWS 

no  masks  against  the  poisonous  gases  loosed 
against  them  by  a  warrior  foe.  The  most 
patient  sufferers  from  the  pests  are  those 
young  ladies  who  are  entertaining  their  lovers. 
Those  of  their  age  go  barefooted  late  this 
season.  The  smoke  does  not  lie  close  to  the 
floor.  So  they  are  kept  busy  slapping  at 
ankles  and  toes  while  they  listen  as  best  they 
can  to  the  words  of  love  uttered  by  their 
suitors. 

But  to-night  most  of  the  men  are  fishing. 
The  season  for  the  gray  trout  or  weak  fish 
has  arrived.  Of  late  years  a  new  method  for 
successfully  catching  them  has  crept  in  from 
the  Beaufort  section,  whither  it  was  brought 
by  some  unknown  foreigner.  After  its  first 
coming,  it  was  quickly  taken  up  by  all  the 
dwellers  along  the  Sound.  The  method  of  it 
is  to  suspend  a  fire  of  light  wood  knots,  which  is 
built  within  a  hollow,  gratelike  iron  frame 
over  the  water.  The  fire  throws  a  strong 
light  into  the  depths,  which  attracts  the  fish 
in  swarms.  As  they  come  close  to  the  sur- 
face, toward  the  fire  of  pine  knots,  the  fisher- 
man deftly  slips  beneath  them  a  net  shaped 
like  those  used  for  crabbing.     By  a  quick 


AMONG  THE  FISHERPOLK        155 

upward  movement,  the  wriggling  fish  are 
drawn  safely  to  skifE  or  shore  as  the  case  may 
be. 

Such  a  method  of  fishing  will  not  appeal  to 
a  disciple  of  Izaak  Walton,  but  one  must 
remember  that  these  primitive  folk  are  not 
fishing  for  the  sport  that  is  to  be  found  in  the 
pursuit.  It  is  their  way  of  earning  a  liveli- 
hood. It  is  a  matter  of  necessity,  not  of 
choice,  with  them. 

Doctor  Garnet  realized  that  it  would  not 
be  well  for  Ethel  to  remain  exposed  to  the 
chill  dampness  of  the  night.  He  was  also 
aware  that  she  had  taken  no  nourishment 
throughout  the  day,  and  was,  therefore,  in 
a  peculiarly  susceptible  condition.  So  he 
steered  the  launch  close  in  to  shore,  seek- 
ing eagerly  for  the  lights  of  some  friendly 
hamlet.  But  to-night  there  was  a  land- 
ward breeze,  so  that  all  lights  were  extin- 
gmshed  to  avoid  attracting  the  mosquitoes. 
There  were  only  the  smudges  burning,  and 
these  rarely  showed  any  blaze  underneath 
the  drifting  clouds  of  smoke.  It  was  the 
custom  to  stifle  at  once  any  flare  of  the  fire, 
in  order  to  maintain  the  smoke  at  the  densest. 


156         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

It  was  the  fishermen's  lights  between  Hunt- 
ing Quarter  and  Cedar  Island  that  gave  the 
Doctor  his  first  glimpse  of  life  anywhere  in 
the  vicinity.  Many  boats  had  passed  him 
going  up  and  down  the  water  way,  but  this 
strange  man  had  studiously  avoided  hailing 
them,  or  being  hailed  by  them.  He  was  not 
willing  to  run  the  risk  of  being  reported  by 
any  craft  so  encotintered. 

Then,  presently,  he  observed  twenty-five  or 
thirty  of  the  lights  burning  upon  the  water 
within  a  radius  of  a  half  mile.  Some  of  them 
appeared  to  be  directly  on  the  water's  edge, 
while  others  were  scattered  over  the  surface 
of  the  Sound.  He  wondered  greatly  at  the 
weird  sight,  but  his  drug-crazed  nerves  left 
him  no  courage  to  investigate  the  phenom- 
enon. But,  of  a  sudden,  the  blanket-wrapped 
form  in  the  bow  stirred.  There  came  the 
gentle  noise  of  a  healthy  yawn,  and  then  the 
girl's  voice  called: 

"Doctor  Garnet!  Won't  you  please  take 
me  home — wherever  that  is — or  some  place 
where  there  is  food?  I'm  just  as  himgry  as 
I  can  be!" 

"Yes,    Miss   Marion,"   the  physician   an- 


AMONG  THE  FISHERFOLK        157 

swered  glibly.  **  We'll  soon  be  where  there 
is  both  food  and  shelter.  I'm  so  glad  to  find 
you  improved!  My  patient  will  soon  be  her- 
self again." 

*'Yes,"  the  girl  agreed,  "I  am  improved, 
Doctor.  I  feel  quite  myself  again,  and  Fm 
wondering  where  I  am  and  what  has  hap- 
pened. I  must  have  been  unconscious  for 
some  time,"  she  added  thoughtfully,  "for  the 
ankle  I  sprained  while  boarding  The  Isabel  is 
almost  well.  Do  you  know,  there  is  very 
little  I  remember  after  that?  I  recall  the 
awakening  in  the  morning  and  the  finding 
that  the  yacht  was  at  sea  and  then  your 
coming  to  my  assistance  when  I  discovered 
that  I  was  locked  in  my  room.  Please,  Doc- 
tor, won't  you  explain  this  whole  affair  to 
me?  Were  we  kidnapped  by  river  thieves, 
and  did  you  succeed  in  escaping  with  me? 
Somehow,  I  have  an  impression  that  we're 
a  long  way  from  New  York  Harbor."  Even 
in  the  faint  light  from  the  moon,  Ethel 
could  see  that  the  physician  was  perturbed 
by  her  questioning.  The  fact  startled  her, 
aroused  a  vague  suspicion.  She  spoke  now 
with  an  authoritative  quality  in  her  voice. 


158         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

''Doctor,  what  is  the  meaning  of  this  reti- 
cence? Why  do  you  show  such  emotion? 
Has  something  dreadful  happened?  Surely, 
an  explanation  is  my  due.** 

Garnet  perceived  that  he  had  at  last  a  sane, 
sensible  woman  with  whom  to  deal.  He 
knew  that  it  would  be  necessary  for  him  to 
treat  her  as  such,  to  give  her  a  satisfactory 
and  rational  explanation.  But  he  had  the 
cunning  of  that  partial  madness  induced  by 
the  drug.  He  meant  to  have  that  cunning 
stimulated  to  even  a  greater  degree.  For 
even  while  the  girl  was  speaking,  he  contrived 
to  arrange  another  charge  for  the  hypodermic. 
To  avoid  attracting  her  attention,  he  did  not 
even  roll  up  his  sleeve  to  insert  the  point  into 
his  flesh.  Instead,  he  inserted  it  through 
coat  and  shirt.  In  an  emergency  such  as 
this,  he  had  no  need  for  the  aseptic  niceties 
characteristic  of  his  profession.  He  had  no 
thought  of  bacteria  from  the  cloth  to  infect 
the  wound.  His  sole  concern  was  to  feel 
within  him  the  increased  thrill  of  the  morphia. 
His  nerves  must  be  at  their  best  to  combat 
the  inquisitiveness  of  this  intelligent  young 
woman,  now  in  the  possession  of  her  normal 


AMONG  THE  FISHERFOLK         159 

mind.  He  understood  perfectly  that  his  nar- 
rative of  events  must  contain  such  a  skillful 
mingling  of  truth  and  falsehood  as  to  leave 
her  without  any  doubt  whatsoever  concern- 
ing his  own  integrity.  Otherwise,  there  must 
come  disgrace  for  himself,  the  ruin  of  his 
career.  He  spoke  then  suavely,  genially  even. 
''Right  you  are.  Miss  Ethel.  You  were 
kidnapped — taken  miles  and  miles  from  your 
home.  I  trust  you  are  strong  enough  now 
to  hear  the  story — properly  censored — that  I 
have  to  tell  you.  I  think,  though,  it  will  be 
sufficient,  for  the  time  being,  to  inform  you 
that  you  are  now  absolutely  safe.  I  regret 
to  advise  you  that  The  Isabel  is  no  more. 
She  was  driven  on  the  rocks,  and  is  a  total 
wreck.  Yet,  perhaps,  it  is  better  so.  Your 
kidnapper  was  trying  to  run  out  into  the  open 
sea  when  the  tempest  was  such  that  no 
yacht  of  such  tonnage  could  have  endured  the 
fury  of  the  waves.  So  the  wreck  probably 
saved  your  life,  for  you  were  rescued  unharmed 
with  the  exception  of  a  mild  concussion  of 
the  bra^n,  which  left  you  unconscious  for  some 
time.  And  you  may  be  glad  now,  since  you 
have  aroused  from  the  stupor,  that  you  have 


160         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

no  memory  of  the  many  harrowing  scenes 
connected  with  this  affair.  I  also  was  res- 
cued, and  am  doing  my  utmost  to  return  you 
to  your  friends  safe  and  sound.  To-night, 
we're  going  northward  on  the  waters  of  Core 
Sound,  off  the  North  CaroHna  mainland. 
The  great  sand  dunes  of  Core  Banks,  which 
you  have  admired  so  many  times  in  passing 
through  these  waters  while  cruising  with  your 
father,  are  just  visible  off  the  starboard  bow 
in  the  moonlight.  Off  the  port  bow  are  many 
tiny  lights,  which  I  confess  are  a  mystery  to 
me.  I  have  a  suspicion,  however,  that  they 
are  shown  by  fishermen  craft.  I  think  it 
best  to  head  for  them  in  the  hope  that  we 
may  obtain  shelter  and  food.  And  now,  my 
dear  patient,''  the  Doctor  concluded  briskly, 
"please  let  this  statement  be  sufficient  for 
the  time  being.  Then,  by-and-by,  I  will  tell 
you  in  full  the  most  wonderful  story  of  adven- 
ture that  any  little  New  York  girl  has  ever 
experienced." 

"Thank  you,  so  much!"  Ethel  responded 
gratefully.  "Now  that  I've  had  this  much  of 
the  story  from  you,  I'll  promise  to  be  as  patient 
as    possible.    Just    the    same,    I'm    awfully 


AMONG  THE  FISHERFOLK         161 

anxious  to  hear  it  all  in  its  completeness.  I 
love  adventure,  and  I  am  afraid  I  can't 
exactly  be  sorry  that  IVe  lived  through  one 
myself.  I'm  more  sorry  for  poor  father  down 
there  on  that  desolate  border,  for  I  know  how 
he  is  looking  forward  to  another  cruise  in  the 
poor  Isabel.  I  must  wire  him  promptly,  so 
that  he'll  be  able  to  have  the  yacht  dupli- 
cated without  delay." 

The  physician  was  immensely  elated  that 
his  narrative  was  so  well  received  by  the  girl. 
With  a  new  feeling  of  safety  and  contentment 
he  headed  the  launch  toward  the  light  that 
seemed  nearest  the  shore.  It  was  not  long 
until  they  reached  the  roughly  constructed 
pier.  Upon  the  extreme  end  of  it  sat  a  soli- 
tary man  fishing  with  fire  and  net. 

As  they  approached  the  shore,  Garnet  was 
able  to  make  out  the  shadowy  outlines  that 
bulked  in  the  distance  as  a  half-dozen  small 
houses.  Beside  each  a  smudge  sent  forth 
clouds  of  heavy  smoke.  He  was  heartened 
by  the  scene,  for  he  knew  well  the  hospitality 
of  the  southern  home,  and  he  was  confident 
that  within  the  walls  of  one  of  these  humble 
cottages  would  be  found  food  and  rest  for 


162         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

himself  and  the  girl  in  his  charge.  Yet  even 
in  this  moment,  the  physician  wondered  if 
indeed  there  would  ever  be  real  rest  for  him 
while  he  should  remember  the  staring,  accusing 
eyes  that  looked  up  at  him  from  the  water's 
depth. 

Garnet  brought  the  tender  alongside  the 
wharf  in  shore,  at  a  sufficient  distance  from 
the  man  to  avoid  disturbing  the  fishing.  Then 
he  climbed  out  upon  the  frail,  wooden  struc- 
ture built  upon  poles  driven  into  the  bottom, 
and  made  his  way  over  its  swaying  surface 
to  the  native  by  the  fire.  This  proved  to 
be  ''Squire"  Goodwin,  the  big  man  of  the 
settlement.  He  was  of  an  appearance  above 
the  average,  and  handsome  still  in  spite  of 
fifty-odd  years  of  toil  and  exposure.  He  rose 
at  Garnet's  approach,  and,  without  waiting 
to  be  addressed,  spoke  with  an  air  of  genial 
familiarity. 

*'I  don't  usually  go  a-firin'  for  trout  this 
late  o'  night,  but  the  truth  is  that  between 
the  hell-fired  skeeters  and  the  gals  havin' 
beaux  there  wasn't  much  for  me  to  enjoy  at 
home.  My  name's  Goodwin,"  he  added  by 
way  of  introduction.     ''They  call  me  Squire 


AMONG  THE  FISHERFOLK        163 

all  around  these  parts.  I'm  the  justice  o' 
the  peace.     So  be  you're  after  a  warrant?" 

The  last  word  affected  Garnet  very  un- 
pleasantly, and  he  shook  his  head  with  such 
grim  emphasis  that  the  Squire  perceived  he 
had  been  mistaken  as  to  the  stranger's  pur- 
pose. 

''No?"  he  remarked.  ''Well,  then,  maybe 
it's  fair  for  me  to  make  another  guess."  A 
twinkle  shone  now  in  his  clear  eyes.  "Judg- 
ing from  the  face  that  the  moon  just  lighted 
up  there  in  the  bow  of  your  snapper,  I  don't 
believe  I'd  be  far  wrong  in  judging  ye  two  to 
be  worldly  folks  that  think  a  squire's  good  as 
a  parson.  What  mout  you're  name  be, 
stranger?" 

At  this  blunt  demand,  Garnet  again  showed 
traces  of  embarrassment,  but  these  endured 
only  for  an  instant.  He  realized  that  in 
this  place  so  remote  from  the  ordinary  lanes 
of  travel  there  could  be  little  danger  in  divulg- 
ing his  identity.  So  he  spoke  with  brisk 
confidence. 

"My  name,  sir,  is  Gifford  Garnet,  I  am  a 
physician.  The  young  lady  lying  in  the 
launch  yonder  is  my  patient.    Wo  were  sg 


164         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

unfortunate  as  to  be  wrecked  while  on  a 
yacht  cruising  in  the  waters  to  the  south  of 
here.  We  are  now  on  our  way  northward, 
bound  for  one  of  the  larger  towns,  where  we 
shall  be  able  to  get  transportation  home. 
The  young  lady  is  suffering  from  an  injured 
ankle,  and,  too,  she  has  been  for  some  time 
unconscious  from  a  blow  on  the  head  received 
while  we  were  escaping  from  the  yacht.  It 
is  only  within  the  last  hoiu*  that  she  has 
seemed  to  be  again  quite  normal.  We  were 
obliged  to  lay  to  in  the  lower  section  of  the 
Sound  for  several  hours,  waiting  for  the 
weather  to  moderate.  Otherwise  we  would 
not  have  been  obliged  to  put  in  here  and  beg 
you  for  food  and  lodging.  If  you  can  take 
care  of  us  over  night  I  shall  be  only  too  glad 
to  pay  you  for  your  hospitality." 

"Pay  me  for  my  hospitality!"  the  Squire 
exclaimed  indignantly.  ''That's  something 
in  my  locality  that's  never  been  for  sale,  and 
can't  be  bought.  You-all  must  be  from  the 
North.  I've  heard  folks  from  the  outside 
say  that  folks  up  there  pay  for  everything, 
even  for  a  place  to  hang  their  hats  in  public 
houses,     Folks  that  pay  for  everything  they 


AMONG  THE  FISHERFOLK         165 

get  lose  all  love  for  each  other."  His  tone 
changed  abruptly,  and  he  spoke  authorita- 
tively. "Get  that  young  woman  out  o'  the 
boat  and  after  I  make  another  dip,  I'll  take 
ye  up  and  show  ye  one  shack  where  hospi- 
tality ain't  for  sale.  And  when  you  go  please 
remember  that  you  don't  leave  under  any 
obligation  to  Squire  Goodwin.  I  will  say 
though,  if  ye  ever  catch  me  in  you-all's  fix, 
and  ye  he'p  me  out,  then  I  won't  offer  to 
pay  you  for  your  hospitality.  I  just  don't 
believe  in  it!" 

The  Squire  skipped  back  to  his  firelight, 
and  the  Doctor  watched  him  toss  four  flop- 
ping, wriggling  beauties  upon  the  wharf. 
As  the  fish  fell  from  the  net,  the  Squire 
shouted  triumphantly: 

"Say,  Doctor,  there's  a  momin'  meal  you- 
all  can't  pay  for!" 

The  task  of  getting  Ethel  Marion  from  the 
boat  to  the  shore  was  not  as  difficult  as  Gar- 
net had  anticipated.  She  was  buoyed  up 
wonderfully  by  the  thought  that  comfortable 
quarters  awaited  her  and  good  clean  food  to 
satisfy  an  appetite  that  was  fast  becoming 
ravenous.     Had  it  not  been  for  the  injured 


166         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

ankle,  she  could  have  walked  as  rapidly  as* 
either  of  the  men  from  the  landing  stage  to 
the  house.  But  when  she  rested  her  full 
weight  on  it,  she  found  that  it  was  still  pain- 
ful, so  that  it  was  necessary  for  the  Doctor 
to  support  her  on  one  side  while  the  Squire 
gallantly  gave  his  aid  on  the  other. 

As  they  reached  the  porch,  there  was  a 
stealthy  sound  of  scurrying  and  the  pattering 
of  bare  feet,  as  the  young-men  callers  slipped 
away  in  the  darkness  to  their  homes.  Then 
the  two  young  women  hastened  forward  to 
greet  the  strangers  in  true  Core  Sound  style. 
"Ma"  was  in  bed,  they  explained,  but  they 
themselves,  with  easy,  unaffected  kindness 
proceeded  to  make  the  invalid  at  home.  Then 
one  of  them  hurried  into  the  cook-room  to 
prepare  a  quick  meal. 

Ethel  Marion,  a  girl  of  high  society  in  New 
York  City,  and  reared  in  luxury,  had  hith- 
erto known  little  of  humble  homes  such  as 
this  in  which  now  she  was  being  cared  for  so 
generously.  As  she  glanced  about  her,  she 
saw  that  the  walls  were  not  covered  with  a 
paper  especially  prepared  for  the  piu'pose,  in 
the  manner  to  which  she  had  been  accus- 


AMONG  THE  FISHERFOLK         167 

tomed.  Instead,  they  carried  sheets  of  ordi- 
nary newspapers,  most  of  them  of  a  religious 
character.  It  was  a  quaint  and  indisputable 
witness  to  the  fact  that  here  she  was  in  the 
home  of  a  God-loving,  Christian  family.  All 
of  the  furnishings  were  simple;  most  of  them 
of  great  age.  Among  them  were  antiques  to 
warm  a  collector's  heart.  It  was  plain  that 
these  had  been  handed  down  through  many 
generations.  Those  of  later  origin  were  care- 
fully wrought  duplicates  of  the  choicest 
models.  In  her  astonishment  amid  surround- 
ings so  strange  and  yet  so  pleasant,  with  the 
savor  of  cooking  food  in  her  nostrils,  Ethel  for 
the  moment  almost  forgot  the  mystery  and 
the  peril  through  which  she  had  passed — 
almost  forgot,  for  a  fleeting  instant,  the  lover 
she  had  summoned  to  her  aid  by  a  message 
cast  into  the  sea. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
Garnet  the  Hero 

THE  dwellers  of  the  Sound  Country  are 
early  risers.  For  this  reason,  Ethel 
Marion  was  up  and  dressed  next  morn- 
ing earlier  than  ever  before  in  her  life.  The 
dawn  was  just  breaking  when  breakfast  was 
announced.  One  of  the  buxom  girls  came  to 
offer  her  services  in  dressing  the  invalid 
stranger.  Then  she  was  assisted  to  the  porch 
for  a  breath  of  the  early  morning  air,  and 
she  exclaimed  in  delight  over  the  splendid 
view  there  unfolded.  Far  off  to  the  east- 
ward the  sun  was  just  climbing  up  from  be- 
hind a  sand  dune  on  the  Banks.  For  miles 
up  and  down  the  coast  the  broken  sand  hills 
ran  in  a  line  north  and  south,  trending  the 
horizon.  These  showed  free  from  any  vege- 
tation except  the  scrub  growth  at  their  base 
and  the  sand  of  them  shone  under  the  rays 

i68 


GARNET  THE  HERO  169 

of  the  rising  stin  like  molten  silver.  In  the 
foreground  were  the  blue  waters  of  the  Sound 
now  dimpling  under  the  caressing  touches  of 
a  gentle  breeze.  Here  and  there  showed  high 
lights  from  the  whitecaps  that  stood  out  as 
souvenirs  still  of  the  storm  that  had  passed. 
Off  to  the  right  of  the  small  bay  upon  v/hich 
the  house  was  built,  a  tangled  mass  of  ever- 
green shrubs  offered  a  vivid  note  in  the  color 
scheme.  These  were  the  undergrowth  of  the 
huge  forest  trees,  of  which  the  limbs  were 
almost  hidden  by  the  clinging  wreaths  of 
mistletoe. 

The  esthetic  sense  of  Ethel  was  touched 
to  the  deeps  by  this  vista  of  beauty  roimd- 
about.  No  wonder  that  the  dwellers  in  this 
blessed  region  lived  contented  in  youth,  ma- 
turity, and  old  age.  She  wondered,  rather, 
that  anyone  could  be  cross  or  ill  tempered  or 
evil  in  any  way  within  the  environment  of  a 
nature  so  benign. 

She  was  reluctant  when  Miss  Goodwin 
gently  led  her  away  from  the  panorama  of 
beauty  toward  the  more  sordid  pleasure  of 
the  breakfast  table.  As  she  went,  Ethel  of- 
fered a  silent  and  most  devout  prayer  of  grat- 


170         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

itude  for  her  preservation  and  for  the  kind- 
ness she  had  received  from  Doctor  Garnet 
and  these  strangers,  whom  just  now  she  was 
very  near  to  loving. 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  wish  to  appease  the 
anxiety  of  friends  at  home,  Ethel  would  have 
been  content  to  remain  long  in  this  wonder 
spot,  among  a  people  so  simple,  so  different 
from  those  to  whom  she  had  been  acustomed, 
who  were  so  little  acquainted  with  the  man- 
ners and  the  fashions  of  a  so-called  higher 
society.  But,  breakfast  over,  she  was  the 
first  to  suggest  that  it  were  best  to  leave  this 
remote  settlement,  with  all  its  charms  of 
scenery  and  the  compelling  attractiveness  of 
its  homely  goodness.  The  nerve-racked  Gar- 
net also  was  anxious  to  depart.  He  had 
rested  comparatively  well  after  the  excite- 
ment and  strain  of  the  previous  day,  and  now 
to  an  eye  not  too  critical  he  would  have 
seemed  quite  normal.  Yet,  a  certain  wild- 
ness  in  the  expression  of  his  eyes  had  not 
wholly  disappeared.  Now  that  Ethel  was 
herself  again,  she  perceived  that  there  was 
something  radically  wrong  with  the  man. 
Naturally  enough,   she  attributed  this  con- 


GARNET  THE  HERO  171 

dition  on  his  part  to  the  worry  over  her  wel- 
fare, and  she  even  experienced  a  feeling 
almost  like  remorse  that  she  should  thus 
unwittingly  have  been  the  cause  of  suffering 
on  his  part. 

The  Goodwins  urged  them  to  remain  for  a 
longer  rest,  but  they  abandoned  their  hos- 
pitable efforts  when  Ethel  pointed  out  the 
necessity  of  at  once  relieving  the  anxiety  of 
her  friends  concerning  her  safety.  They  pro- 
vided, however,  an  ample  amount  of  food  to 
be  carried  by  the  voyagers,  which  would  suf- 
fice them  until  they  reached  a  town  on  the 
coast  to  the  northward,  and  the  entire  family 
went  down  to  the  wharf  to  wish  them  God- 
speed. 

As  the  party  approached  the  landing,  the 
attention  of  all  was  called  to  Shrimp,  who 
hitherto  had  been  neglected.  He  came  walk- 
ing proudly  along  the  beach  toward  them 
from  the  pier.  When  the  physician  ex- 
plained that  the  rooster  was  a  pet,  the  Squire 
hurried  back  to  the  house  and  returned  quickly 
with  a  small  package  of  com.  A  moment 
later,  the  launch  was  again  in  motion,  while 
those    on    shore    waved    their    adieux   with 


172         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

handkerchiefs,  to  which  Ethel  repHed  in 
kind. 

Ethel  was  eager  in  her  praise  for  every 
member  of  the  family  that  had  shown  them 
such  kindness  and  hospitality. 

''Oh,  Doctor,"  she  exclaimed,  ''just  as 
soon  as  the  new  yacht  is  built,  the  very  first 
cruise  shall  be  a  visit  to  this  beautiful  spot. 
Father  must  know  these  plain  people  who 
have  been  such  life-savers  to  us.  You,  too, 
Doctor  Garnet,  shall  be  one  of  the  party. 
We'll  see  if  we  can't  devise  some  scheme  by 
which  to  repay  them  for  what  they've  done." 

The  physician  made  no  reply.  He  seemed 
indeed  to  be  wholly  absorbed  in  meditation. 
But  he  aroused  with  a  start  from  his  reverie 
at  the  girl's  next  question. 

"Doctor,  you  know  a  woman's  inquisi- 
tiveness!  Last  night  you  bade  me  be  patient, 
and  said  that  after  a  while  you  would  tell  me 
the  whole  story  of  this  unfortunate  affair. 
Now,  I  simply  must  ask  you  just  one  question. 
Will  you  answer  it?" 

"I'll  try,  Miss  Marion,"  was  the  answer, 
given  with  an  air  as  nonchalant  as  he  could 
assume. 


GARNET  THE  HERO  173 

''Where  are  the  villains  who  took  part  in 
this  affair?  Did  they  go  down  with  The 
Isabel,  or  did  they  escape,  and  are  they  still 
at  large?'* 

Garnet  looked  the  girl  straight  in  the  eye 
as  he  replied  in  a  tone  of  the  utmost  sincerity. 

"The  arch-conspirator  escaped.         He  is 
probably  being  hunted  by  the  best  detectives 
in  the  country.     He  is  sure  to  be  captured' 
eventually,  dead  or  alive." 

''Thank  you.  Doctor,''  Ethel  said  grate- 
fully. "And  in  proof  of  my  thanks,  I  won't 
trouble  you  any  more  on  this  subject,  which 
seems  to  worry  and  annoy  you.  Of  course,  I 
don't  know  what  dreadful  things  you  were 
obliged  to  go  through  with  in  order  to  save 
yourself  and  me  from  harm.  Really,  I'm 
not  surprised  that  you  don't  wish  to  talk 
about  it.  But  I  do  hope  they  catch  the 
guilty  man  and  punish  him  as  he  deserves — 
hang  him,  perhaps." 

The  physician  winced  at  the  innocent  re- 
mark, and  vouchsafed  no  reply. 

The  latmch  sped  on  and  on.  The  wind  in- 
creased in  some  degree  during  mid-forenoon, 
as  is  usual  in  southern  waters  at  this  season 


174         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

of  the  year.  But  the  little  craft  was  staiinchly 
built,  and  by  taking  advantage  of  the  head- 
lands she  made  fairly  good  progress. 

Garnet  was  beginning  to  suffer  again  from 
lack  of  the  drug.  Ethel  had  not  as  yet  seen 
him  use  the  hypodermic  needle,  nor  did  he 
care  to  have  her.  But  by  rapid  stages  his 
desire  reached  such  a  point  that  he  must  either 
have  the  relief  of  morphia  or  go  mad.  Then 
his  cunning  brain  suggested  that  it  would  be 
easy  enough  to  deceive  this  guileless  girl. 
So  he  boldly  told  her  that  he  was  in  a  highly 
nervous  state  and  suffering  as  well  from  a 
splitting  headache,  and  that,  therefore,  he 
deemed  it  advisable  to  take  a  small  injection 
of  morphia,  which  would  undoubtedly  relieve 
him. 

Ethel  had  not  the  faintest  idea  that  this 
learned  man,  of  such  eminence  in  his  pro- 
fession, was,  in  fact,  a  drug  fiend.  She  had 
no  suspicion  of  the  truth  even  when  she  saw 
the  point  of  the  hypodermic  syringe  penetrate 
the  skin  of  his  forearm.  She  merely  admired 
the  graceful,  deft  movements  of  the  long  and 
slender  fingers. 
I    Nevertheless,  the  girl  could  hardly  fail  to 


GARNET  THE  HERO  175 

note  the  change  that  came  almost  immediately 
over  the  man.  Now  he  became  again  his 
usual  self,  with  little,  if  any,  trace  of  ner- 
vousness, with  the  manner  that  was  affable 
and  sympathetic. 

It  was  a  half  hour  later  when  Ethel,  ever 
alert,  noticed  a  fisherman's  boat  laboring 
clumsily  down  the  Sound.  In  years  agone, 
it  had  been  equipped  with  a  sail,  but  now  it 
chugged  away  industriously  under  the  energy 
of  a  wheezing  gasoHne  engine.  There  were 
several  persons  aboard — three  men,  two 
women  and  a  baby  in  arms.  During  her 
first  glance  at  the  ungainly-looking  boat,  the 
beat  of  the  engine  ceased,  and  it  was  evident 
from  the  actions  of  the  man  who  busied  him- 
self with  the  machinery  that  the  motor  had 
balked.  As  the  laimch  drew  nearer,  the  girl 
saw  that  those  in  the  broken-down  craft  were 
in  a  state  of  consternation,  with  their  atten- 
tion centered  on  the  child.  She  cried  out 
in  wonder  to  the  Doctor. 

*'What  in  the  world  can  be  the  matter  in 
that  boat?  It  must  have  something  to  do 
with  the  baby." 

Garnet  answered  without  hesitation. 


176         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

"Yes,  Miss  Ethel,  I've  been  watching,  and 
there  is  certainly  something  seriously  wrong. 
I'll  go  close  enough  to  hail  them." 

The  men  in  the  fishing  boat  began  to  wave 
their  hats  as  distress  signals,  and  the  Doctor 
nodded  and  raised  his  hand  as  a  signal  that 
he  was  coming. 

When  the  launch  came  within  hailing  dis- 
tance, one  of  the  men  shouted  out  an  explan- 
ation. The  propeller  had  become  entangled 
in  a  piece  of  floating  net,  and  so  rendered 
useless.  The  party  came  from  the  Toume- 
quin  Bay  section,  where  an  epidemic  of 
diphtheria  was  raging.  This  baby  had  not 
improved  under  the  ''granny"  treatment  of 
the  neighborhood,  in  which  there  were  no 
doctors.  In  consequence,  it  was  now  being 
taken  to  Beaufort  to  receive  the  antitoxin — 
that  new  remedy  for  which  such  miracles  were 
claimed.  Even  as  the  man  was  speaking,  the 
baby  was  seized  with  a  fit  of  strangling  that 
brought  it  almost  to  the  point  of  death. 

Came  a  transformation  scene.  Here  was 
no  longer  Garnet,  the  crazed  drug  fiend.  In 
his  stead  was  revealed  the  man  and  the  physi- 
cian— ^he  who  in  times  of  distress  and  suffering 


GARNET  THE  HERO  177 

had  always  given  his  services  to  the  best  of 
his  ability.  In  this  moment  the  old  instinct 
rose  dominant.  He  called  to  them  in  a  loud 
clear  voice. 

''I  am  a  physician.  If  you  will  permit  me 
ril  come  aboard  and  try  to  give  temporary 
relief.  Something  must  be  done  promptly, 
or  the  child  will  die." 

In  order  to  save  Ethel  as  far  as  possible 
from  any  danger  of  contagion,  Garnet  brought 
the  launch  alongside  the  stern  of  the  fishing 
boat,  since  the  baby  was  in  the  bow.  As  he 
stepped  aboard  the  other  craft  he  bade  one 
of  the  men  let  the  launch  drop  back  astern 
to  full  length  of  the  painter.  While  this  was 
being  done,  the  physician,  medicine  case  in 
hand,  hurried  to  the  child  that  lay  struggling 
spasmodically  in  its  mother's  arms.  An  in- 
stant of  examination  showed  to  Garnet's 
practiced  eyes  that  the  throat  was  almost 
completely  filled  with  the  membrane  charac- 
teristic of  the  disease,  and  that  it  must  be  only 
a  matter  of  minutes  before  suffocation  would 
ensue  imless  effective  measures  for  relief  were 
taken.  A  glance  to  the  shore  two  miles  away 
told  him  that  the  delay  in  reaching  it  would 


178         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

prove  fatal  to  his  patient^s  chances.  It  was 
evident  that  if  the  baby's  Hfe  were  to  be  saved 
he  must  act — and  act  now.  Nor  did  he  hes- 
itate. With  lightning-Hke  rapidity  he  took 
out  his  emergency  kit  of  surgeons'  tools. 
He  bade  the  most  intelligent-appearing  of  the 
men  hold  the  child  according  to  his  precise 
directions.  Then,  with  his  coat  off  and 
shirt  sleeves  rolled  up,  Doctor  Garnet  braced 
himself  in  the  tossing  boat  and  performed  the 
operation  of  tracheotomy,  while  the  mother 
crouched  weeping  and  praying  with  her  face 
hidden  in  her  hands. 

Presently,  the  sufferer  grew  quiet,  for  now 
it  was  able  to  breathe  again.  Thanks  to 
the  great  skill  of  this  man,  once  again  a  life 
had  been  saved. 

The  parents  of  the  child  were  profuse  in 
the  expressions  of  heartfelt  gratitude.  They 
would  have  given  what  little  money  they  had 
to  this  savior  of  their  child.  But  Garnet,  of 
course,  would  take  no  fee  for  his  services.  He 
diverted  the  chorus  of  thanks  by  offering  to 
take  in  tow  the  disabled  fishing  boat  and 
bring  it  to  the  shore,  whence  means  could 
be  secured  for  their  going  on  to  Beaufort.    He 


GAENET  THE  HERO  179 

insisted  that  in  spite  of  what  he  had  done,  the 
baby  should  be  taken  to  the  town,  in  order  to 
receive  treatment  with  the  antitoxin. 

Throughout  all  the  scene,  Ethel  had  watched 
the  physician  with  eyes  in  which  shone  pride 
and  affection.  It  seemed  to  her  that  this 
man  was  one  who  fought  always  to  relieve 
distress  according  to  the  best  measure  of  his 
strength. 

"He  has  succored  me,"  she  mused  with  a 
warm  glow  in  her  heart. 

''He  is  taking  me  to  my  home — to  Roy. 
He  has  stopped  only  long  enough  to  rescue 
another  sufferer  from  the  jaws  of  death — even 
as  he  rescued  me.     He  is  a  hero." 


CHAPTER  XV 
Adrift  with  a  Madman 

THE  afflicted  child  showed  marked  signs 
of  improvement  by  the  time  The 
I  saber  s  tender,  with  its  tow,  reached 
the  small  hamlet  of  Atlantic — a  cluster  of 
fishermen's  houses  and  two  stores  built  on  a 
bluff  to  the  westerly  side  of  Core  Sound. 
There  the  disabled  boat  was  pulled  out  upon 
the  beach  so  that  the  stem  was  exposed  and 
workmen  could  get  at  the  injured  shaft. 
The  work  of  repair  was  simple.  Soon  the 
craft  was  restored  to  running  condition,  and 
its  passengers  went  on  their  way,  their  hearts 
filled  with  new  hopes  for  the  safety  of  the 
child. 

Ethel  remained  at  the  wharf,  since  the 
steep  climb  up  the  bluff  must  have  proved 
too  trying  for  her  injured  ankle.     But  the 

Doctor,  acting  imder  the  girl's  instructions, 

1 80 


ADRIFT  WITH  A  MADMAN        181 

made  his  way  up  the  hillside  to  the  stores  in 
order  to  purchase  for  her  some  necessary- 
apparel  to  replace  that  lost  in  the  wreck. 
There  was  occasion  also  to  buy  additional 
gasoline  for  the  launch.  With  these  things 
provided,  the  two  again  set  forth  on  their 
voyaging. 

The  physician,  though  he  appeared  genial 
enough,  was  in  fact  greatly  perturbed.  He 
had  tried  in  vain  to  secure  morphia  at  either 
of  the  stores  in  Atlantic.  He  took  advantage 
of  his  absence  from  Ethel  to  administer  an- 
other injection,  so  that  for  the  present  the 
craving  was  stilled.  But  he  was  filled  with 
dread  for  the  future.  While  the  launch 
moved  forward  steadily  through  the  calm 
water,  he  secretly  counted  again  the  pellets 
remaining  in  the  vial.  Heartsick,  he  realized 
the  truth.  It  was  a  matter  only  of  a  few 
hours  before  his  stock  of  the  drug  would  be 
entirely  exhausted.  In  such  a  situation, 
knowing  as  he  did  the  horrible  suffering  that 
must  ensue  to  him  for  lack  of  morphia, 
Garnet  did  not  hesitate.  He  had  learned 
by  inquiries  that  there  was  a  physician  at 
Portsmouth,  on  the  south  side  of  Ocracoke 


182         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

Inlet,  at  the  extreme  northerly  end  of  Core 
Banks.  He  must  direct  the  launch  thither, 
there  to  seek  relief  from  his  fellow  practi- 
tioner. There  was  even  the  possibility  of 
whiskey  to  mitigate  his  torture,  for  as  one  of 
the  natives  had  informed  him  in  Atlantic, 
"No*th  Caroliny  wasn't  plumb  bone- 
dryr 

For  some  time  now,  Ethel  Marion  had 
closely  watched  her  companion.  She  could 
not  but  perceive  how  different  was  his  manner 
from  that  of  the  man  who,  for  years,  had 
visited  her  father's  house  whenever  medical 
aid  was  needed.  Formerly  he  had  been  full 
of  life  and  vigor;  a  man  of  most  affable  bear- 
ing, while  now  he  was  morose,  almost  dif- 
fident. Since  her  return  to  consciousness,  she 
had  not  once  seen  a  smile  on  his  face.  In- 
stead, his  expression  was  always  abstracted 
and  remote.  Moreover,  at  times,  the  girl 
had  seen  him  turn  his  face  quickly  to  the 
south  as  if  moved  by  some  irresistible  and 
baneful  attraction.  And,  too,  at  such  times 
he  had  shuddered  visibly.  Ethel  felt  con- 
vinced that  there  remained  something  very 
frightful  in  the  story  still  to  be  told  concern- 


ADRIFT  WITH  A  MADIMAN        183 

ing  the  wreck  of  the  yacht.  As  she  watched 
the  man,  a  vague  fear  developed  in  her — a 
fear  of  him,  for  him.  She  had  as  yet  no  sus- 
picion that  she  had  been  in  mortal  peril 
through  the  act  of  this  man.  But  she  was 
more  than  half  convinced  that  he  could  be 
no  longer  a  safe  protector,  for  the  peculiarity 
of  his  appearance  and  manner  soon  con- 
vinced her  that  he  was  actually  deranged.  It 
was  evident  that  he  desired  to  be  left  to  his 
own  musings.  So,  for  a  long  time,  she  re- 
frained from  any  attempt  toward  conversa- 
tion. She  even  feigned  sleep,  but  through  the 
long,  brown  lashes  she  continued  to  study  the 
worn  and  harassed  visage  before  her.  And 
it  was  during  this  period  of  sly  observation 
that  she  detected  his  deft  resort  to  the  hypo- 
dermic syringe.  She  witnessed  as  well  the 
febrile  anxiety  with  which  he  once  more  in- 
spected the  number  of  pellets.  She  noted 
with  dismay  the  horror  in  his  drawn  features 
as  he  stared  at  the  vial.  Her  ears  even 
caught  his  whispered  words: 

"Only  two!" 

But  before  the  startled  and  apprehensive 
girl  could  formulate  a  conclusion  as  to  the 


184         WHEN  THE   COCK  CROWS 

significance  of  what  she  had  seen  and  heard, 
there  came  an  interruption. 

In  the  spring  great  numbers  of  shad  jour- 
ney from  the  depths  of  the  Atlantic  to  their 
spawning  grounds  far  up  in  the  head  waters 
of  the  Neuse  and  Pamlico  Rivers.  The  Sound 
fisherman  is  alert  to  know  the  time  of  their 
coming  and  stakes  his  gill  nets  all  along  the 
miles  upon  miles  of  shallows  away  from  the 
buoy-marked  channel  of  the  Soimd,  in  order 
that  he  may  gain  for  himself  the  high  prices 
paid  in  the  northern  markets  for  these  deli- 
cacies of  the  sea.  It  is  the  rule  that  after  the 
shad  season  the  stakes  to  which  the  nets  had 
been  tied  shall  be  removed.  But  sometimes 
carelessness,  or  worse,  leaves  the  stakes  in 
their  places.  In  many  instances  these  are 
broken  off  below  the  surface  of  the  water  by 
the  buffeting  of  the  waves.  Thus  invisible, 
they  become  a  serious  menace  in  the  course 
of  small  boats.  Sometimes  in  rough  water,  a 
boat  falling  from  a  wave  has  struck  on  one  of 
these  to  have  its  bottom  pierced,  and  forth- 
with to  fill  and  sink. 

It  was  one  of  these  stakes  that  now  caused 
catastrophe.     The  sloping  stem  scraped  over 


ADRIFT  \YLTR  A  ]VL\DMAN        185 

it.  Next  instant,  the  brittle  bronze  propeller 
blades  rasped  against  it.  They  were  swept 
off  as  smoothly  as  icicles  from  a  window  ledge, 
and  the  homeward  crtiise  of  the  frail  little 
tender  was  at  an  end. 

There  came  a  scream  from  Ethel,  which  was 
echoed  by  a  groan  from  the  physician  as  his 
thoughts  went  in  despair  to  the  two  pellets — 
only  two!  It  was  with  the  mechanical  action 
of  the  experienced  yachtsman  that  he  threw 
the  throttle  of  the  engine  as  it  raced  free  from 
the  propeller's  resistance. 

"Oh,  Doctor,"  the  girl  cried,  "what  is  it 
now?    What  has  happened  to  us — " 

"Our  propeller  blades  are  stripped.  Miss 
Marion,*'  he  answered,  in  a  tone  of  deep  de- 
jection. "There  is  no  injury  to  the  hull,  of 
course,  or  we  would  have  taken  in  water 
already.  There  is  no  danger,  but,"  he  con- 
cluded with  great  bitterness,  "it  is  very  dis- 
couraging, I  must  admit."     a 

"What  shall  we  do,  Doctor? — drift  with 
the  wind  imtil  we  are  picked  up  by  some 
passing  vessel?" 

I  think  not,  Miss  Ethel,"  Garnet  replied. 
Judging  from  the  direction  of  the  breeze,  in 


186         WHEN  THE   COCK  CROWS 

less  than  an  hotir  we  shall  come  on  the  shore 
of  Core  Banks." 

He  spoke  in  a  new  voice  of  gentleness  as 
he  continued:  -^ 

''Pray  do  not  worry.  I  don't  believe  there 
is  an  acre  of  water  that  we  will  pass  over  where 
the  depth  would  be  above  our  arm-pits.'* 

The  thought  of  being  stranded  upon  the 
barren  Core  Banks  would  have  been  serious 
enough  to  awaken  dread  in  the  heart  of  any 
woman,  even  in  the  company  of  a  sane  person. 
But  Ethel  Marion  had  her  distress  instantly 
increased  by  the  fact  that  the  man  with  her 
was  of  unsound  mind.  She  had  a  general 
idea  of  how  far  they  would  be  distant  from 
any  human  habitation.  This  very  strip  of 
sand  had  been  pointed  out  to  her  many  times 
by  the  local  pilot  aboard  her  father's  yacht. 
Now,  there  came  crashing  into  her  tortured 
brain  memories  of  tales  told  by  that  same 
pilot;  concerning  treasure  secreted  there  years 
agone  by  the  pirate  Black  Beard;  concern- 
ing the  weird  lights  that  rose  from  the  sands 
at  night,  then  mysteriously  vanished;  con- 
cerning the  evil  beach-combers  who  burned 
here  their  flares  to  trick  the  skippers  of  ships 


ADRIFT  WITH  A  MADMAN        187 

out  at  sea  and  deliver  them  to  death  upon 
these  sands,  where  the  bones  of  the  vessels 
might  be  picked  at  ease ;  concerning  the  utter 
isolation  of  this  region,  where  no  human 
beings  were  to  be  found  short  of  Portsmouth 
at  one  end  and  Cape  Lookout  at  the  other — 
fifty  miles  apart.  a 

The  laimch  drifted  slowly,  but  none  the 
less  surely,  toward  the  strip  of  sterile  bleak- 
ness broken  only  by  the  huddled  masses  of 
the  dunes.  As  she  saw  them  that  morning 
from  the  porch  of  Squire  Goodwin's  home, 
Ethel  had  thought  them  a  splendid  and  in- 
spiring spectacle.  Now,  under  the  changed 
circumstances,  their  nearer  aspect  terrified 
her.  She  felt  a  desperate  wonder  as  to  what 
fate  might  hold  in  store. 

By  a  mighty  effort  of  will,  the  girl  forced 
back  the  fear  that  threatened  to  overcome  her. 
She  addi'essed  Garnet  in  a  voice  that  trem- 
bled only  slightly. 

*' Would  it  not  be  better  to  drop  the  anchor, 
and  remain  out  here  where  we  could  siu*ely  be 
seen  by  passing  boats?" 

The  Doctor  shook  his  head  in  negation  as 
he  answered : 


188         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

"No,  Miss  Ethel.  It  would  be  of  no  use, 
for  we  are  too  far  from  the  traveled  route. 
Besides,  you  have  been  so  long  cramped  up 
aboard  this  little  boat  that  it's  imperative 
thp.t  you  should  stretch  yourself  ashore.  As 
far  as  the  fishermen  are  concerned,  we  can 
make  signals  to  them  on  shore  as  well  as  from 
here,  better  in  fact.*' 

He  pointed  suddenly. 

"I  can  make  out  a  rough  fisherman's  shack 
over  yoimder  between  the  dunes.  There's 
no  chance  of  its  being  occupied  at  this  season, 
but  the  shelter  afforded  by  it  will  mean  every- 
thing to  you." 

Ethel  looked  in  the  direction  indicated. 

'*0h,  yes,  Doctor,  I  see  it.  I  suppose  it 
would  help  in  an  emergency,  but  I  do  hope 
we  shall  not  be  compelled  to  pass  a  night  in 
this  desolate  place." 

The  physician's  voice  was  surcharged  with 
gloom — perhaps  from  pity  for  himself  rather 
than  for  her — ^as  he  replied. 

*'It's  already  near  stmdown,  so  I'm  greatly 
afraid  we  must  pass  at  least  a  night  in  this 
wretched  place.  There  is  just  one  chance. 
Should  the  wind  veer  a  little  further  to  the 


ADRIFT  WITH  A  IVIADMAN        189 

southward,  I  could  possibly  use  a  pole  and 
so  push  the  boat  up  along  the  shore  toward 
Portsmouth.  But  while  the  breeze  remains 
in  its  present  quarter,  we  have  no  choice  but 
to  stay  here  marooned.  I  only  wish  we  had 
taken  on  more  supplies  at  Atlantic.  Should 
I  be  obliged  to  go  on  foot  to  Portsmouth  in 
order  to  bring  back  a  boat  for  you,  a  collection 
of  canned  goods  would  prove  capital  company 
for  you  during  my  absence.'* 

Ethel  regarded  the  physician  with  surprise, 
and  a  tremulous  smile  bent  her  lips,  for  this 
was  his  first  and  only  attempt  at  humor 
throughout  all  the  trip.  But  as  she  studied 
his  face,  with  its  lugubrious  expression,  she 
came  to  the  conclusion  that,  after  all,  he  had 
not  in  the  least  meant  to  be  funny;  had,  on 
the  contrary,  spoken  in  all  seriousness. 

Presently,  the  waves  bore  the  tender  gently 
upon  the  shelving  strip  of  sand.  Ethel  re- 
mained on  board,  while  Garnet  went  to  make 
an  inspection  of  the  hut. 

Shrimp,  too,  hurriedly  hopped  from  the 
tiny  deck  forward,  and  when  he  found  him- 
self safe  ashore  expressed  his  gratification  by  a 
lusty  crow — ^his  first  dviring  the  voyage. 


190         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

Garnet  found  the  accommodations  far  bet- 
ter than  he  conld  have  expected.  The  shack 
contained  a  small  cook-stove,  cooking  uten- 
sils, clean  bimks,  some  chairs  and  a  table. 
He  returned  and  aided  Ethel  to  disembark. 
Then,  still  holding  her  hand,  he  led  her  toward 
the  shack. 

She  went  in  a  mood  of  dire  foreboding  to- 
ward this  miserable  shelter,  under  the  escort 
of  a  man  whom  she  now  knew  to  be  crazed. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
The  Coming-out  Party 

AS  Captain  Ichabod  left  the  physician's 
house  after  having  made  his  confes- 
sion, Doctor  Hudson  stood  watching 
him  while  he  walked  briskly  away. 

"See  how  that  old  devil  is  stepping  it  off 
down  the  street  like  a  four-year-old,"  was  the 
observer's  comment.  "He  really  has  taken 
on  a  new  lease  of  life,  and  materia  medica 
didn't  have  a  finger  in  the  pie,  either.  If  it 
had  happened  a  few  years  earlier  that  he  had 
a  chance  to  tell  Sandy  Mason  what  he  thought 
of  him,  and  to  save  a  woman  from  drowning, 
likely  as  not  there'd  have  been  a  wife  and 
children  on  the  Island  to-day  to  cheer  the  old 
fellow's  declining  years.  It's  a  shame  that 
cat  of  a  woman  ever  crossed  his  path,  for  he's 
one  of  the  best-meaning,  greatest-hearted  men 
in  the  county." 

191 


192         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

Suddenly,  the  Doctor  chuckled. 

'*By  George,  I  have  an  idea,  and  Til  get 
busy  on  it.  Yes,  sir,  I'll  take  the  old  rascal 
at  his  word.'*  With  that.  Doctor  Hudson 
disappeared  inside  his  house  and  shut  the 
door  after  him. 

The  government  wireless  station  at  Beau- 
fort is  built  upon  an  island,  which  is  sepa- 
rated from  the  mainland  by  the  narrow  chan- 
nel of  New  Port  River  just  before  it  empties 
into  the  sea.  Now,  Captain  Jones  went  at 
once  to  the  government  wharf,  where  he  se- 
cured the  services  of  a  small  boy  to  row  him 
to  the  island.  On  his  arrival,  he  was  warmly 
welcomed,  for  he  was  as  popular  there  as 
with  the  men  of  the  coast  guard.  As  he 
entered  the  small  receiving-room,  the  instru- 
ments were  spitting  out  dots  and  dashes, 
with  all  kinds  of  sparks  for  accompaniment. 
The  principal  operator  was  taking  down  a 
message.  As  soon  as  the  task  was  ended,  he 
whirled  about  and  greeted  the  old  fisherman 
enthusiastically. 

''Why,  howdy.  Captain  Ichabod — glad  to 
see  you.  It's  sure  fine  of  you  to  come  over. 
I    understand   there' ve    been    some    exciting 


THE  COMING-OUT  PARTY         193 

times  up  in  yoiir  neck  of  the  woods.  By  the 
way,  what  was  the  name  of  the  yacht  that 
went  on  the  rock?'' 

"It  was  The  Isabel,  of  New  York,"  replied 
Ichabod. 

''Is  that  so!"  exclaimed  the  operator.  ''If 
that's  the  case,  I  reckon  this  message  I  just 
yanked  out  of  the  air  will  be  of  interest  to 
you." 

He  handed  the  paper  to  the  Captain,  who, 
after  finding  his  spectacles  and  adjusting 
them  carefully,  read  aloud  the  following: 

"To  all  port  officers: 

Motor-driven  yacht  Isabel  of  New  York,  put  to  sea 
without  clearance  papers.  Investigation  shows  she 
was  probably  stolen.  Daughter  of  owner  a  prisoner 
on  board.  If  located  in  your  vicinity  arrest  boat  and 
all  members  of  crew.  Make  diligent  search  for  young 
woman  and  release  her. 

The  bulletin  was  signed  by  an  officer  of 
the  Treasury  Department. 

"We'll  ni  be  doggoned! "  cried  the  Captain, 
in  great  astonishment.  "I  knowed  that  feller 
was  some  kind  o'  a  bad  egg,  but  now  I  believe 
to  goodness  he  was  plumb  sp'ilt.     That  poor 


194         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

little  brown-eyed  gal!  What  a  pity!  I  wish 
I'd  a  held  right  smack  onto  her — that  I  do." 

"I  suppose/'  the  operator  rejoined,  "that 
bulletin  has  been  picked  up  by  all  of  the  sta- 
tions, so  that  the  boys  are  keepin'  a  sharp 
lookout  to  overhaul  the  yacht  and  pinch  the 
bunch,  an'  especially  to  save  the  girl.  I'll 
get  this  over  to  the  Collector  of  Customs  right 
away.  He'll  want  to  report  the  escape  of 
the  man  and  woman  and  to  give  the  direction 
they  went." 

"Ye'd  better  tell  him  to  mention  the  dead 
feller,  an'  that  he  was  tied  down." 

"That's  right,  Uncle  Ichabod.  Say,  but 
there's  a  lot  of  mystery  about  this  affair. 
I'll  bet  my  boots  you  haven't  heard  the  last 
of  it."    ' 

"Maybe  not,"  the  fisherman  admitted. 
"  But,  by  cracky,  since  what  I've  been  through 
a'ready  they  can't  skeer  Ichabod.  No,  not 
by  a  damned  sight!" 

It  was  very  seldom  that  Captain  Jones 
used  a  profane  expression.  When  he  did,  it 
was  with  deliberate  intention. 

Upon  this  island  where  the  wireless  outfit  is 
stationed,  the  government  has  another  institu- 


THE  COMING-OUT  PARTY         195 

tion — a  laboratory  where  studies  are  made  in 
sea  life.  It  includes  a  remarkable  museum, 
which  is  visited  by  students  from  far  and  near. 
There  are  power  boats  equipped  for  dredging 
at  considerable  depth  in  order  to  bring  to 
light  the  secret  things  of  the  sea.  Many  of 
the  curios  are  contributed  by  the  fishermen, 
who  are  continually  dragging  forth  in  their 
nets  objects  strange  to  them.  When  a  thing 
of  real  rarity  is  brought  to  the  laboratory,  a 
snug  sum  is  paid  to  the  finder.  The  Captain 
himself  had  always  a  ready  eye  for  anything 
that  might  prove  of  value,  and  his  finds  from 
time  to  time  netted  him  a  tidy  profit.  To-day 
he  had  with  him  a  variety  of  sea  porcupine 
new  to  him,  which  he  had  found  in  his  net 
a  few  days  before.  So  now,  on  leaving  the 
wireless  station,  Ichabod  visited  the  labora- 
tory, where  the  sea  porcupine  was  duly  deliv- 
ered and  brought  in  return  a  satisfactory  sum 
of  money.  Here,  too,  he  retold  once  again 
all  his  experiences  in  connection  with  the 
wreck  of  The  Isabel.  By  the  time  this  was 
done,  the  afternoon  was  well  spent.  The  old 
man  was  rowed  back  to  the  mainland,  where 
he  entered  the  red  skiff  and  set  sail  homeward. 


196         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

As  he  passed  up  the  bay,  the  tide  was  low, 
so  that  in  many  places  the  shoals  and  rocks 
were  exposed.  Captain  Ichabod,  reclining 
lazily  in  the  stem  sheets  of  the  skiff,  tiller  in 
hand,  listened  to  the  noisy  clatter  of  the  giills, 
which  in  vast  swarms  were  feeding  on  their 
favorite  scallops. 

Ages  ago,  the  gulls  discovered  that  the 
fluted  shell  must  be  broken  ere  the  luscious 
morsel  within  could  be  obtained.  It  was 
wholly  impossible  for  them  to  crush  the 
stonelike  casing  with  their  bills.  So  the  birds 
devised  another  means.  This  was  to  carry 
the  shell  high  aloft,  then  drop  it  on  the  shoals. 
If  it  fell  on  a  hard  surface,  it  would  be 
broken  open,  and  the  scallop  within  would 
be  promptly  devoured  by  the  gull  following. 
When  the  shell  fell  in  a  soft  place,  and  re- 
mained unbroken  the  bird  would  merely  con- 
tinue its  efforts  imtil  finally  crowned  with 
success.  Ichabod,  idly  watching  such  re- 
peated trials,  was  induced  to  meditation  on 
the  lesson  thus  taught. 

"It  shore  is  a  pity  that  arter  Roxana  Lee" 
— ^the  name  came  easily  now — ''arter  a-stab- 
bin*   o'   me  in  the  back — yes,    it*s   a   pity 


THE  COMING-OUT  PARTY         197 

that  I  didn't  do  sort  o'  like  that  Scotch  feller 
that  watched  the  spider  try  an'  try  an'  try 
ag'in  till  at  last  he  spun  his  web  whar  he 
aimed  to.  Why,  when  he  saw  what  that- 
thar  crab-lookin'  son-of-a-gim  could  do,  he 
jumped  right  up,  an',  a-bucklin'  himself 
around  a  leetle  tighter,  went  out  and  cleaned 
up  a  whole  mess  that  was  arter  him.  By 
cracky!  all  I  had  to  do  was  to  come  right  out 
to  these  sand  shoals  an'  oyster  rocks  an' 
watch  them  noisy  gulls  a-tryin'  an'  a-tryin', 
an'  at  last  bustin'  a  scallop.  I  jest  believe, 
if  I'd  done  that,  then  I'd  have  got  right  square 
up  an'  licked  Sandy  Mason,  an'  told  Rox- 
ana  what  I  thought  o'  her  no-'coimtness,  an' 
then  I  might  have  married  the  best-lookin* 
woman  in  Cartaret  Coimty. 

"But,  then,  what's  the  use?"  he  continued, 
as  he  drew  the  sheet  in  a  little  closer,  so  hold- 
ing the  skiff  more  into  the  wind,  in  order  to 
round  a  point  of  marsh  land.  *' That's  an- 
cient history,  an'  I  ain't  a-goin'  to  study 
it.  I've  done  turned  over  a  new  leaf.  I 
hope,  Ichabod,  ye'll  live  right  an'  die 
happy." 

The  skiff  was  nearing  the  home  port.     Cap- 


198         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

tain  Ichabod's  attention  was  called  to  a 
sound  of  happy  voices — women's  notes,  as  he 
expressed  it.  Unless  he  was  much  mistaken, 
it  came  from  his  own  Island. 

The  old  fisherman,  true  to  his  instinct  of 
fear  in  reference  to  womankind,  loosened  the 
sheet,  so  that  the  skiff  might  slide  by  and  let 
him  learn  more  definitely  what  might  be  the 
meaning  of  this  invasion. 

The  matter  was  not  long  in  doubt.  As  he 
rounded  a  point,  he  saw  them.  It  seemed  to 
him  there  were  a  dozen  or  more  of  women. 
They  were  not  only  upon  the  Island:  the 
shack  door  stood  open.  There  were  women 
actually  going  in  and  out  through  the  en- 
trance— ^busy  as  bees.  .  .  .  Upon  the  shore, 
a  great  fire  was  burning. 

Ichabod,  who  had  been  brave  for  three  days, 
now  began  to  be  afraid  of  this  influx  of  fem- 
inine furbelows — this  show  of  skirts.  Twice 
Ichabod  tacked  with  a  desire  to  take  a  run- 
ning look  at  his  own  Island;  and  twice  he 
dared  not  make  a  landing  because  of  the 
feminine  contingent  on  shore.  But,  when  he 
sailed  the  red  skiff  by  his  homeland  for  the 
third  time,  he  recognized  a  pudgy  figure  on 


THE  COMING-OUT  PARTY         199 

the  shore,  which  was  waving  frantically  to- 
ward him. 

"Oh,  hell!"  Ichabod  spoke,  with  great  in- 
dignation. **I£  it  ain*t  Hudson!  Consam 
him,  he  has  took  me  at  my  word  an'  if 
he  hain't  brought  a  flock  o'  'em!  I  didn't 
aim  to  run  away,  nohow.  I  jest  forgot  fer 
a  minute  thet  I  had  reformed.  I  wonder 
what  the  fire  means?  It's  mighty  early  yet 
for  an  oyster  roast,  but  they  are  a-gittin'  fat." 

The  Doctor  met  the  old  fellow  at  the  land- 
ing. Ichabod  wore  a  sheepish  look,  while,  on 
the  contrary,  the  physician's  good-natured 
face  was  wreathed  in  smiles. 

"Throw  me  your  painter.  Captain!" 
shouted  the  medical  man.  "When  I  get  that 
in  hand  I'll  feel  sure  that  you  are  really 
here!" 

Old  Icky  went  forward,  wound  the  sail 
neatly  around  the  mast,  removed  the  rudder, 
pulled  up  the  center-board,  and  then  tossed  to 
Hudson  a  line  to  be  turned  arotmd  the  piling. 
Ichabod  stepped  ashore,  nonplused.  His  ex- 
pression was  stem  and  forbidding  as  he  ad- 
vanced on  his  friend,  the  Doctor,  and  de- 
manded the  meaning  of  all  this. 


200         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

**Why,  Captain  Ichabod/'  came  the  an- 
swer, "the  women  folks  up  there  have  named 
this  meeting  Ichabod  Jones*  coming-out  party. 
You  know  in  great  cities  where  there's  a  heap 
of  society,  when  a  girl  reaches  an  age  that 
they  think  it  is  time  for  her  to  be  setting  her 
cap,  they  arrange  a  swell  party  to  let  the 
fellows  know  that  the  young  lady  is  eligible. 
So,  you  see,  that's  the  case  to-day.  Only, 
this  time,  it's  a  man  that  has  come  out 
of  his  shell,  and  you  can  believe  me  that 
shell  was  the  hardest  one  I  ever  tried  to 
crack!" 

**Say,  Hudson,  did  I  tell  ye  I  was  a-lookin' 
fer  a  woman?  No,  sir;  I  only  said  as  how 
they  was  welcome  to  come  to  the  Island. 
This  how-dy-do  o'  your'n  I  call  a-rubbin'  it  in 
pretty  hard.  If  it's  a  joke  with  you,  it  hain't 
with  me."  ^ 

*'Now,  old  friend,  don't  get  peeved.  I'll 
tell  you  just  how  it  came  about.  After  you 
left  my  house,  I  went  out  to  pay  some  pro- 
fessional calls.  Ichabod,  your  name's  in 
everybody's  mouth.  They  all  asked  ques- 
tions about  you,  knowing  how  close  friends 
we  are.     What  could  I  do  but  just  up  and  tell 


THE  COMING-OUT  PARTY         201 

how  you  had  seen  the  light  and  had  hit  the 
trail  for  happiness;  how  all  women  were  to 
be  welcome  at  the  Island  from  now  on,  and 
how  the  latch-string  would  be  hanging  always 
on  the  outside  of  the  shack  door?  I  had  no 
sooner  arrived  home  than  one  of  these  good 
ladies  called  me  up  and  asked  me  if  I  woiild 
mind  escorting  a  few  of  them  to  the  Island  to 
congratulate  you  on  your  quitting  playing 
Rip  Van  Winkle  as  far  as  women  were  con- 
cerned. I  just  told  the  pretty  creatures  I*d 
be  only  too  glad  to  go  with  them.  .  .  .  Shake 
hands,  Ichabod.  Let  your  family  physician 
be  the  first  to  welcome  you  back." 

Realizing  that  the  whole  trouble  had  been 
caused  by  his  talking  too  much  and  that  no 
one  was  to  blame  save  himself,  the  old  man 
smiled  somewhat  wryly  as  he  grasped  his 
friend^s  extended  hand.  ^ 

/'Say,  Doc,"  he  declared,  ''I  always  did 
like  a  joke  where  it  didn't  hurt  none.  So,  I 
ain't  a-goin*  to  make  ye  out  tmtruthful  to 
that  passal  o'  women." 

With  that,  the  fisherman  slipped  his  arm 
within  the  Doctor's,  and  walked  forward  spir- 
itedly  toward    his    doom — as    he    mentally 


202         WHEN  THE   COCK  CROWS 

termed  this  social  ordeal.  It  was  indeed  his 
coming-out  party,  and  never  a  debutante 
so  secretly  tremulous  and  shy  as  Captain 
Icky. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
Strangers  at  Ichabod's  Island 

THE  friendly  squeeze  that  Doctor  Hudson 
was  giving  Ichabod's  arm  as  they 
advanced  toward  the  group  of  women 
heartened  the  old  man  mightily.  A  few  days 
since,  he  would  have  felt  that  he  was  being 
led  as  a  martyr  to  be  burned  at  the  stake. 
But  now,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  every- 
thing was  changed.  It  is  true  that  he  felt  a 
keen  embarrassment  over  this  introduction 
to  feminine  society  after  his  isolation  from  it 
for  twenty  years.  Yet  his  nattiral  courage 
dominated  this  embarrassment,  so  that  he 
faced  the  trial  bravely  enough. 

The  Doctor  explained  to  him  that  a  formal 
introduction  to  the  ladies  would  be  necessary. 

"That  is,"  Hudson  continued,  ''to  all  ex- 
cept one.  You  are  already  acquainted  with 
the  one  just  now  coming  out  of  the  shack 

door  with  your  vinegar  bottle  in  her  hand. 

203 


204         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

It*s  Miss  Sarah  Porter  that  I*m  referring  to. 
She  has  told  me  that  vou  have  talked  with 
her  on  more  than  one  occasion  about  your 
domestic  troubles  and  your  lonely  life.  She 
has  told  me,  too,  that  she  tried  her  best  to 
give  you  advice  that  would  be  good  for  you." 

Ichabod  replied  defensively. 

''Wall,  I  cariate  IVe  been  a-tryin'  to  take 
her  advice!" 

It  was  even  as  Doctor  Hudson  had  said. 
In  spite  of  the  sharp  eyes  and  wagging  tongues 
of  the  townsfolk,  few  had  known  that  the  old 
fisherman  occasionally  visited  Miss  Porter  in 
the  hostelry  managed  by  her  for  many  years, 
and  that  there  he  had  listened  gratefully  to 
her  words  of  kindly  admonition.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  long  before  the  Lee  woman  entered 
into  the  fisherman's  life,  he  had  felt  very 
kindly  toward  Miss  Porter,  and  his  attentions 
had  been  well  received  by  her.  It  is  very- 
possible  that  he  might  have  offered  himself 
to  her  years  ago,  had  it  not  been  for  a  con- 
scientious scruple  as  to  his  jilted  self  being 
unworthy.  So,  he  saw  her  only  at  rare  inter- 
vals, and  then  only  when  he  brought  fish  to 
sell,  thus  making  business  his  excuse.     There 


STRANGERS  AT  ICHABOD'S  ISLAND     205 

had  been  to  him  a  certain  comfort  in  the  fact 
that  this  vivacious  woman  of  sixty  had  never 
married.  He  even  dared  to  wonder  sometimes 
with  a  thrill  of  vanity  if  her  feeling  toward 
him  could  have  been  the  cause  of  her  spin- 
sterhood.  And  this  was  always  followed  by 
an  emotion  of  disgust  with  himself  that  he 
should  ever  have  found  the  company  of  Rox- 
ana  more  to  his  liking  than  that  of  the  pleasant 
and  wholesome  Sarah. 

When  the  Captain  saw  Miss  Porter  with 
the  vinegar  bottle  in  her  hand,  he  knew  that 
the  visitors  were  preparing  an  oyster  roast, 
which,  of  course,  accounted  for  the  fire  of 
twigs  and  seaweed.  Now,  the  other  women 
stood  in  a  row,  while  Sarah,  her  face  wreathed 
in  smiles,  came  forward  to  greet  her  old  lover. 
This  done,  she  formally  presented  Ichabod 
to  the  other  guests.  The  fisherman's  in- 
creased embarrassment  expressed  itself  in  a 
sheepish  grin,  when  it  suddenly  dawned  on 
him  that  every  one  of  the  women  there  before 
him  was  unmarried.  Dr.  Hudson  remarked 
afterward  that  Ichabod  looked  to  him  as  if 
he  were  convinced  that  each  and  every  one 
was  "after  him!*' 


206         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

Nevertheless,  once  the  introductions  were 
over,  the  Captain  found  himself  at  ease  in 
a  manner  quite  surprising.  Every  one  of  the 
visitors  seemed  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the 
affair  with  a  whole-hearted  geniality  that  was 
infectious,  and  under  this  benignant  influence 
the  host  was  filled  with  an  unaccustomed 
happiness.  He  at  once  began  to  assist  in 
the  roasting  of  the  oysters,  which  the  women 
had  gathered  from  the  rocks.  He  gave  them 
carte  blanche  to  help  themselves  to  plates 
and  forks  and  such  other  things  as  were  need- 
ful from  the  shack. 

None  was  so  rude  as  to  refer  to  Ichabod*s 
reformation.  But  Sarah  Porter,  whenever 
she  caught  his  eye,  gave  him  a  look  that  spoke 
as  plainly  as  words: 

"Ichabod  Jones,  at  last  I  have  fotind  you 
a  man,  and  I  am  proud  of  you!" 

No  doubt  she  congratulated  herself,  with 
justice,  on  the  fact  that  her  talks  with  him  had 
had  much  to  do  with  this  change.  She  was 
the  only  one  in  the  party  of  mature  age; 
the  others  were  co;mparatively  young  and 
sprightly  maidens.  This  selection  of  guests 
was  due  to  the  fine  Italian  hand  of  the  Doc- 


STRANGERS  AT  ICHABOD'S  ISLAND     207 

tor.  Evidently,  he  was  hard  at  work  on  a 
plan  to  make  Ichabod  Jones  a  provider, 
rather  than  trying  to  find  him  a  place  as 
housekeeper,  in  accordance  with  the  fisher- 
man's original  request. 

The  hours  passed  delightfully  for  all — espe- 
cially for  the  host  whose  pleasure  was  edged 
by  the  novelty  of  the  situation  in  which  he 
found  himself.  It  was  not  imtil  the  moon 
showed  in  the  east  that  the  visitors  made 
ready  for  departure.  Just  before  the  party 
embarked,  the  boldest  of  the  maidens  kissed 
the  old  man's  weather-beaten  cheek.  There 
was  a  burst  of  laughter  from  the  onlookers. 
Ichabod  could  feel  himself  blushing  furiously, 
but  that  blush  was  invisible  under  the  deep 
tan.  Then  the  others  thus  saluted  him,  one 
by  one — all  save  Sarah  Porter. 

She  bestowed  herself  in  the  laimch  while 
the  kissing  was  going  on,  and  Ichabod,  regard- 
ing her  furtively  with  anxious  eyes,  read  in 
her  expression  signs  of  strong  disapproval, 
which  disconcerted  him  hugely,  and  robbed 
him  in  great  measure  of  his  just  due  of  enjoy- 
ment under  the  oscillatory  attack. 

Then,  it  was  all  over!    The  old  man  stood 


208         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

waving  his  hat  mechanically  as  the  launch 
glided  away.  Ichabod  watched  with  unseeing 
eyes.  He  was  in  a  daze,  thinking  more  in 
sorrow  than  in  anger  of  ''how  fer  he  had  let 
them  minxes  go  with  him — an'  Sary  a-lookin* 
on,  too!''  He  shook  his  head  despondently, 
as  he  reflected  that  the  closing  incident  would 
have  been  more  agreeable  if  **Sary  hadn't 
been  a-lookin'  on." 

Once  more,  Ichabod  Jones  burned  midnight 
oil.  In  the  early  evening  he  brought  his  easy 
chair  out  in  front,  where  he  could  see  the 
glistening  waters  and  watch  the  moon  climb 
high.  He  smoked  pipeful  after  pipeful  of  his 
strong  tobacco.  Again  he  made  rings,  and 
thought,  and  wondered.  It  was  after  ten 
before  he  arose  and  went  into  the  shack, 
lighted  his  oil  lamp,  laid  out  his  paper  and 
pencil,  and  proceeded  to  add  more  to  the 
record  that  he  had  started.  No  doubt,  after 
his  long  reverie  in  the  moonlight,  he  had  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  fact  of  his  being 
kissed  by  ten  yoimg  women  and  having  one 
more  making  eyes  at  him  in  one  day,  the  first 
of  his  reformation,  was  of  moment  enough  to 
be  recorded. 


STRANGERS  AT  ICHABOD'S  ISLAND     209 

That  night,  as  Ichabod  finished  his  entry 
in  the  diary  and  leaned  far  back  in  his  chair 
with  chest  expanded,  his  chin  with  its  whift 
of  beard  thrown  out  at  an  angle  of  forty-five 
degrees,  he  reminded  one  of  a  cartoon  of 
Uncle  Sam  when  showing  a  self-satisfied  air. 
The  picture  he  portrayed  at  least  conveyed 
the  impression  that  he  was  monarch  of  all  he 
surveyed  and  even  dared  once  again  to  place 
his  battle  flag  of  conquest  on  the  mainland  of 
Cartaret  County. 

As  he  put  away  his  writing  materials  and 
prepared  to  retire  to  his  lonely  bunk,  he  again 
talked  aloud. 

'  "It  looks  to  me,  by  cracky,  as  if  things  was 
a-movin'  jest  a  leetle  too  rapid  fer  a  starter. 
It  reminds  me  right  smart  o'  a  hoss  race  I 
saw  at  the  fish  and  oyster  fair,  at  New  Bern, 
a  spell  back.  The  animal  that  I  cal'lated 
would  win,  he  jest  started  off  like  a  steam 
engine,  an'  when  he  got  half  way  around  he 
was  clean  ahead  o'  the  bunch.  But  by  the 
time  he  reached  the  home-stretch,  he  was  a 
swettin'  like  a  mad  bull  an'  puffin*  like  a 
grampus — an'  every  other  hoss  got  in  fust. 
Here  I  am  now,  kissed  by  ten  o'  the  prettiest 


210         WTBDEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

gals  in  Beaufort  jest  as  the  sun  is  a-settin'  on 
my  first  day  o*  new  manhood.  I'm  startin' 
too  almighty  fast.  If  I  don't  tame  down  I'll 
lose  out  on  the  home-stretch.  I  opine  Sara 
didn't  like  the  idea  o'  that  kissin'  business.  I 
was  particular  to  hold  my  face  straight  out 
where  she  could  see  it  an'  not  let  my 
lips  tech  nary  one  o'  'em.  But  I  guess 
it  would  be  safer  to  go  down  an'  tell  Sara 
how  partic'lar  I  was,  an'  how  I  wanted  to 
tell  'em  to  stop,  but  didn't  dar'st  not  to 
be  polite." 

As  Captain  Ichabod  lay  in  his  bunk  before 
falling  asleep,  he  allowed  his  mind  to  dwell 
upon  more  serious  things.  He  thought  of  the 
wireless  message.  What  had  become  of  the 
strange  man,  of  the  woman,  and  of  his  rooster, 
Shrimp?  He  wondered  that  there  were  no 
reports  of  their  passing  other  boats.  His 
heart  was  sore  for  that  poor  woman  who  had 
lain  so  long  unconscious  upon  his  bed.  His 
interest  in  her  was  vital,  for  he  had  saved  her 
life.  What  could  the  man  mean  by  thus 
secretly  hurrying  away?  Ichabod  had  asked 
himself  this  question  many  times.  Now  he 
knew  beyond  peradventure  of  doubt  that  the 


STRANGERS  AT  ICHABOD'S  ISLAND     211 

fellow  was  a  criminal,  a  refugee  from  justice, 
with  a  young  woman  of  gentle  birth  in  his 
power. 

Ichabod*s  conscience  smote  him.  He  was 
ashamed  that  he  had  not  instituted  a  search 
immediately  after  the  fellow* s  disappearance 
from  the  Island.  He  had  had  the  right  to  call 
on  the  Sheriff  of  the  county  for  aid.  There 
had  been  plain  theft.  A  pair  of  blankets 
had  been  stolen  from  him — as  also  his  chan- 
ticleer. 

The  monetary  loss  from  this  robbery  meant 
nothing  to  the  fisherman,  but  it  would  have 
served  as  an  excuse  for  arresting  the  man, 
and  thus  rescuing  his  girl  victim.  .  .  .  Icha- 
bod  remembered  the  man  chained  to  the 
engine  in  the  sunken  yacht.  It  was  doubt- 
less this  murderer  who  now  had  the  girl  in 
his  power.  Should  it  suit  his  ends,  would 
that  desperate  man  hesitate  to  murder  even 
the  girl  herself — the  girl  he  had  saved  from 
drowning?  Ichabod  decided  that  he  would 
fulfill  a  belated  duty  by  going  to  town  next 
day,  there  to  swear  out  a  warrant  of  arrest 
against  the  abductor  of  the  girl,  that  thus  the 
Sheriff  should  have  reason  to  search  the  waters 


212         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

of  the  Sound  in  the  hope  of  arresting  the 
giiilty  man  and  rescuing  his  victim.  .  .  . 

Despite  the  thrilling  experiences  of  a  day 
so  unaccustomedly  feminine,  the  sturdy  old 
fisherman,  when  he  was  done  with  his  med- 
itations, slept  soimdly  throughout  the  night. 
He  was  up  at  cock-crow — though  there  was 
no  clarion  call  from  Shrimp  to  awaken. 

It  was  while  he  was  busy  over  the  prepara- 
tion of  a  modest  breakfast  that  there  came 
the  wailing  cry  of  a  yacht's  siren.  It  sounded 
from  the  northward,  evidently  not  far  away 
from  the  Island.  Captain  Icky  shut  the 
drafts  on  the  stove,  pushed  the  coffee-pot 
back  to  a  position  where  it  would  keep  hot 
without  boiHng.  Then  he  stepped  outside 
the  shack  to  watch  the  incoming  vessel  pass 
over  the  bar  into  the  waters  of  the  Inlet.  He 
was  impressed  at  first  glance  by  the  beautiful 
lines  of  the  little  vessel,  which  was  evidently 
of  light  draft  so  she  might  cruise  safely  in 
shallow  waters,  while  capable  of  weathering  a 
storm-tossed  sea. 

It  was  a  new  thing  that  a  yacht  of  such  size 
should  come  to  anchor  off  the  Island.  Icha- 
bod  watched  cvuiously  as  the  vessel  slackened 


STRANGERS  AT  ICHABOD'S  ISLAND     213 

heavily  and  then  let  a  light  anchor  drop  from 
the  starboard  side  of  the  bow.  Presently,  he 
saw  a  small  boat  put  off  from  the  yacht,  rowed 
by  two  sailors,  and  carrying  two  passengers 
in  the  stem.  When  he  made  sure  that  a  land- 
ing was  intended,  Ichabod  went  down  to  the 
point  to  greet  the  imexpected  visitors. 

As  the  boat  touched  the  landing,  the  two 
men  stepped  ashore  and  advanced  toward 
Ichabod,  who  greeted  them  hospitably. 

''Howdy,  men!  Ye  are  welcome  to  Icha- 
bod's  Island.  But  it*s  a  leetle  imusual  to 
have  a  call  from  boats  o*  your  class.  .  .  . 
Jones  is  my  name — Captain  Ichabod  Jones, 
at  your  service!'* 

The  shorter  man  stepped  forward,  and  in- 
troduced himself  as  Jack  Scott.  He  presented 
his  companion  as  his  friend,  Roy  Morton. 

''Captain  Jones,"  the  stranger  began,  "we 
are  now,  I  take  it,  just  at  the  entrance  to  the 
Beaufort  Inlet." 

"Yes,  yender  is  the  Inlet,"  Ichabod  replied. 

The  other  spoke  with  curt  incisiveness. 

"We're  in  a  hurry.  We'd  like  to  ask  you  a 
few  questions.  It's  plain  no  craft  of  any  size 
could    pass   your    Island  without   attracting 


^14        WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

notice.  WeVe  looking  for  a  yacht  stolen 
from  her  anchorage  in  the  North  River.  She 
has  now  been  missing  for  several  days.  The 
last  report  weVe  been  able  to  get  is  that  she 
was  seen  passing  out  of  Pamlico  into  Core 
Sound.  Do  you  know  the  whereabouts  of 
any  such  boat?     Her  name  was  The  Isabel, 

''The  Isabel!''  Ichabod  answered.  ''Thar 
she  lays!*'  ' 

The  two  men  followed  the  direction  of  the 
homy  hand — and  saw!  Roy  Morton  felt  a 
sick  dizziness  crash  upon  him.  In  that  mo- 
ment of  agony,  he  believed  that  the  girl  he 
loved  was  forever  lost. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
The  Call  of  the  Dark 

A  FEW    handfuls  of   sea  water  dashed 
into  Roy's  face  by  Ichabod,  together 
with  a  rough  massage  by  Van  Dusen, 
soon  brought  the  young  man  around  again. 

"I  must  have  the  truth/'  he  declared,  "no 
matter  how  terrible.  Was  the  yoimg  woman 
lost?" 

"Why,  no,  yotmg  man,"  the  fisherman  an- 
swered; "least- wise,  not  in  the  wreck.  I 
took  her  out  o'  the  water  myself.  She  was 
plumb  full  o'  swallered  brine,  but  I  had  that 
out  o'  her  in  a  jiffy.  I  tock  her  into  my 
shack  an'  got  her  all  right  exceptin'  her  haid. 
Poor  thing  never  did  speak  to  me  but  once." 

"Then  she  died!"  Roy  cried,  in  a  tone  of 
anguish. 

But  Ichabod  shook  his  head  emphatically. 
.    "Not  as  I  knows  on,"  he  declared;    "un- 
less that  nervous-actin'  skimk  has  killed  her 

215 


216         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

since  he  took  her  away  in  the  small  boat. 
Had  I  knowed  what  I  Tamed  yesterday  at 
the  wireless  station,  I'd  'a'  held  on  to  the  gal. 
I  saw  she  was  pretty  bad,  not  bein'  able  to 
talk,  an'  so  I  told  the  man  I  took  off  o'  the 
wreck  that  what  she  needed  was  an  M.D. 
Leavin'  him  in  charge,  fer  he  seemed  to  know 
a  heap  about  medicine  himself,  I  put  the 
rag  on  the  skiff,  an'  sailed  to  town  fer  the 
Doctor.  When  I  got  back,  I  foimd  that  the 
thievin'  rascal  had  stole  my  pet  rooster,  a 
pair  o'  blankets — an'  the  woman,  an'  had 
gone  off  in  the  gasoline  tender  what  come 
ashore  from  the  wreck.  0'  course,  they  w^ent 
up  the  Soimd — to  God  knows  whar!  The 
woman  ain't  safe  with  no  sich  critter  as  that 
feller.  If  the  gal  is  much  to  you,  which  I 
'lows  she  is  from  your  tantnims,  ye  had  best 
make  all  haste  to  git  her.  I  was  jest  a-fixin' 
to  go  to  Beaufort  an'  take  out  a  warrant  fer 
the  feller  fer  murder,  an'  charter  a  gasoline 
boat,  prepared  to  go  through  hell  if  need  be 
to  save  that  gal  an'  put  the  sallow-skinned 
varmint,  what  took  her,  behind  the  bars  o' 
the  county  jail." 

*' Warrant  for  murder?"  Van  Dusen  de- 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  DARK         217 

manded,  suddenly  alert,  "What  do  you  mean, 
Captain  Jones?  Has  this  man  killed  some 
one?'^ 

**  Wall,  I  reckin!"  Ichabod  answered  grimly. 
**Thar  was  a  feller  a-sailin'  around  the  wreck 
o'  The  Isabel,  which,  as  ye  see,  is  all  busted 
to  pieces  by  an  explosion  after  she  struck  an* 
the  beatin'  on  her  o*  the  big  storm  waves. 
When  this  feller  looked  down  by  the  engine, 
he  saw  a  dead  man  a-lookin'  back  up  at  him. 
He  looked  closter  before  he  hurried  away,  an* 
saw  that  the  poor  devil  was  chained  to  the 
wreck.  Now,  that  bein'  the  case,  an'  this 
feller  that's  got  the  gal  bein*  the  man  in 
charge  o*  the  yacht,  then  why  ain't  he  wanted 
for  murder?" 

Van  Dusen  nodded  his  head  understand- 
ingly. 

"This  clears  up  part  of  the  mystery,"  he 
said  to  Roy.  "Now,  if  we  can  only  catch 
Garnet  and  save  Miss  Marion,  the  case  will 
be  happily  ended.  The  whole  thing  is  clear 
in  my  mind,  but  we  have  still  to  find  the 
proof." 

"Them's  the  names  the  feller  give  me," 
the  fisherman  vouchsafed,   "when  he  intro- 


218         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

duced  himself  to  me.  I  *lowed  he  was  'most 
crazy  from  his  scare.  Say,  men!  Do  you 
know  I  think  that  feller  was  a-takin'  dope, 
an',  furthermore,  since  IVe  had  time  to  think 
it  over,  I'm  almost  certain  I  saw  him  puttin' 
some  under  the  gal's  skin.  As  folks  around 
here  only  use  Baitman  Drops  or  swallers  pills, 
I  took  a  spot  on  the  gal's  arm  fer  a  skeeter 
bump.  I  didn't  know  what  the  shiny  thing 
was  that  he  slipped  in  his  pocket  when  he 
saw  me  a-lookin'.  Since  then  the  Doctor 
has  told  me  he  'lowed  it  was  a  hypodermic. 
First  he  called  it  a  guiiy  but  when  he  discov- 
ered that  I  thought  he  meant  a  shootin'  iron, 
because  I  said  it  was  too  small  fer  that,  why, 
then  he  give  me  the  other  name.  0'  course,  I 
had  heard  that  other  name  afore."  ^ 

"This  whole  business  is  goin'  to  turn  out 
just  as  I  outlined  it  to  you,  Roy,"  Van  Dusen 
asserted.  ''These  things  are  unusual,  but  I 
don't  think  you  need  have  any  fears  for  Miss 
Marion,  provided  she  doesn't  starve,  or  meet 
with  some  accident  through  the  foolhardiness 
of  this  crazy  Garnet.  The  thing  I  suggest  is 
to  solicit  the  aid  of  Captain  Jones,  and  have 
him  act  as  our  pilot.    We  should  also  charter 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  DARK        219 

several  small  gasoline  boats  and  go  through 
the  waters  of  this  shallow  Sound  and  its  trib- 
utaries like  a  fine-toothed  comb.  It's  haste 
now  that  is  important.  We'll  probably  find 
the  fellow  hidden  away  in  some  remote  fisher- 
man's home  where  he  can  administer  to  the 
wants  of  his  patient,  while  avoiding  capture. 
I  believe  that  he  is,  even  though  deranged, 
terrorized  at  the  thought  of  arrest,  so  that  he 
will  not  dare  come  out  into  the  open.  That's 
the  reason  he  left  the  comfortable  quarters  of 
the  Island." 

Roy  was  all  eagerness  to  begin  the  work 
forthwith,  and  Ichabod  proffered  all  the 
assistance  in  his  power. 
V  "Jest  a  minute,  men,"  he  said,  'Hill  I 
swaller  my  coffee  an'  put  out  the  fire,  then 
Ichabod  Jones  will  be  ready  to  show  ye 
every  nook  an'  comer  o'  these-here  waters; 
an'  if  that  skunk  ain't  got  out  of  'em  or 
gone  to  the  bottom,  we'll  git  him — an'  git 
him  right!" 

After  leaving  Norfolk,  The  Hialdo  had 
covered  many  miles.  Arthur  Van  Dusen 
when  he  acted,  moved  with  deliberation  as 
well  as  speed.    Already,  on  the  way  down, 


220         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

every  avenue  of  escape  had  been  blocked. 
It  would  have  been  impossible  for  The  Isabel 
to  escape  over  the  route  by  which  the  pur- 
suers had  come.  She  would  have  been 
seized  the  moment  she  showed  at  any  port. 
The  thoroughness  of  these  precautionary 
measures  was  the  reason  why  it  was  not 
until  now  that  The  Hialdo  had  dropped 
anchor  at  Beaufort  Inlet. 

The  only  area  that  remained  unsearched 
was  the  Core  Sound  section.  The  searchers 
had  taken  advantage  of  the  night,  when 
there  was  little  else  that  they  could  do,  to 
run  down  to  the  Inlet  in  order  to  find  out  if 
the  yacht  had  passed  out  to  sea  through 
the  channel. 

They  were  reasonably  certain  now.:. that' 
the  Doctor  and  the  young  woman  were  not 
a  great  way  off.  Van  Dusen  was  confident 
of  speedily  running  down  the  culprit,  and 
he  was  exultant  over  the  prospect.  But 
Roy  was  still  tortured  with  anxiety  con- 
cerning the  safety  of  the  girl  he  loved. 

Before  coming  out  of  the  shack  to  go 
aboard  The  Hialdo,  Ichabod  took  time  to 
tidy  up  his  person  a  little.     This,   for  the 


THE   CALL  OF  THE  DARK         221 

sufficient  reason  that  they  were  going  first 
to  Beaiifort,  where  it  might  be  that  he 
would  encounter  Sarah  Porter.  It  would 
never  do  for  her  to  see  him  except  properly 
"spruced  up"  for  a  trip  to  town.  There 
was,  in  addition,  the  fact  that  he  was  about 
to  go  aboard  a  handsome  yacht,  where,  as 
he  knew,  everybody  went  about  habitually 
''dressed  up."  As  he  took  a  parting  glance 
into  his  tiny  bit  of  mirror,  the  old  fisher- 
man indulged  in  a  self-satisfied  smirk,  and 
spoke  aloud. 

'Td  be  willin*  to  bet  that  when  them 
fine  fellers  gits  to  be  as  old  as  me,  they 
can't  tell  as  how  ten  single  women  kissed 
*em  all  in  one  day,  an'  another  one,  by 
cracky,  made  eyes  an'  jest  didn't  darst!" 

Having  thus  said,  Ichabod  hurried  off  to 
his  visitors,  and  a  minute  later  was  follow- 
ing them  up  the  ladder  to  the  deck  of 
The  Hialdo.  Van  Dusen  had  taken  on  a 
pilot  at  Ocracoke,  so  that  they  had  no 
trouble  in  following  the  intricate  roimd- 
about  ship's  channel  to  the  town. 

Captain  Ichabod  directed  the  place  of 
anchorage.    This  was  in  th^  small  channel 


222         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

directly  in  front  of  the  Inlet  Hotel,  where 
Sarah  Porter  reigned  supreme.  They  would 
use  her  wharf  in  going  ashore.  He  ad- 
mitted to  himself  that  he  had  been  pleased 
over  being  kissed  by  the  "young  fry";  but 
he  also  admitted  that  the  chief  appeal  to 
him  had  been  made  by  the  elderly  woman 
who  had  looked  on  so  disapprovingly  from 
her  place  in  the  Doctor's  launch. 

Van  Dusen  was  anxious  to  call  first  upon 
the  Collector  of  the  Port.  That  office  here 
had  become,  of  late  years,  rather  unim- 
portant, since  the  action  of  the  tides  had 
filled  the  Inlet  with  sand,  to  such  an  extent 
that  very  few  vessels  of  the  ocean-going 
steamer  type  could  get  over  the  bar.  The 
Collector's  business  was  confined  to  seeing 
that  yachts  and  other  vessels  of  small  draft 
had  their  proper  papers.  There  was  no 
United  States  Marshal  located  in  the  town, 
and  the  case  of  The  Isabel  was  plainly  one 
to  be  handled  by  the  Treasury  Department. 

It  was  unnecessary  for  Ichabod  to  guide 
the  detective  further  than  the  wharf,  for 
the  Custom  House,  with  its  identifying  flag, 
stood  near  the  landing.     So,  the  Captain  felt 


THE   CALL  OF  THE  DARK         223 

himself  at  liberty  to  visit  the  hotel,  where 
he  reclined  at  ease  in  a  rocking  chair  on  the 
porch,  and  enjoyed  an  intermittent  conver- 
sation with  the  hostess  of  the  inn.  Roy 
remained  on  board  the  yacht,  at  his  friend's 
bidding,  in  order  to  recover  from  the  shock 
he  had  suffered  on  hearing  Ichabod's  story. 

Van  Dusen  found  the  Collector  anxious  to 
be  of  service  in  every  possible  way.  He  sug- 
gested that  the  services  of  the  Sheriff  should 
be  enlisted,  and  that  a  warrant  for  the 
arrest  of  Doctor  Garnet  should  be  secured 
from  the  Justice  of  the  Peace,  for  robbery,  to 
be  sworn  to  by  Ichabod,  since  that  offense 
had  been  committed  within  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  state  courts. 

The  Sheriff,  when  called  up  over  the  tel- 
ephone, agreed  to  supply  three  deputies, 
each  equipped  with  a  copy  of  the  warrant. 
Finally,  two  small  launches,  each  carrying 
one  of  the  Sheriff's  men,  were  chartered  to 
voyage  in  different  directions  for  the  search, 
while  the  third  would  go  aboard  The  Hialdo, 
Other  business  prevented  the  Sheriff  from 
giving  his  personal  aid  in  the  quest.  Icha- 
bod was  interrupted   during  his   pleasuring 


224         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

on  the  porch  by  a  telephone  call,  which  re- 
quested him  to  report  at  once  to  Squire 
Chadwick's  office  in  order  to  swear  to  the 
necessary  papers. 

But  the  fisherman  forgot  the  imperative 
summons  as  his  hostess  came  out  on  the 
porch  to  bid  him  farewell. 

"Do  ye  realize,  Sarah  Porter,  that  this  is 
the  very  fust  time  in  over  twenty  year  that 
I've  come  to  your  house  except  on  business, 
without  some  fishes,  terrapin,  scallops,  or 
sich  to  sell  fer  the  hotel?" 

Miss  Porter  blushed  like  a  girl. 

"Well,  seein'  as  how  you  mention  it,  I 
reckon  it's  a  fact."  Her  manner  did  not 
betray  how  often  she  had  wondered,  and 
perhaps  grieved,  over  that  fact  during  the 
score  of  years. 

Then,  Ichabod  at  last  took  heart  of  cour- 
age, and  spoke  boldly: 

"  This  time,  Sarah,  arter  due  deliberation, 
an'  study,  Ichabod  has  come  to  ye  to  give 
something  away.  Tain't  nothin'  that  comes 
out  o'  these  waters  or  sands  or  marshes. 
Tain't  gold,  nor  yit  silver,  but  somethin' 
that    nobody    in    all    these    years    could    'a 


>_> 


THE   CALL  OF  THE  DARK         225 

bought,  had  they  tried.  Could  ye  guess 
what  it  mout  be,  Sarah?" 

There  came  a  certain  dreaminess  into  the 
woman's  eyes,  which,  if  a  Httle  dimmed,  had 
by  no  means  lost  their  luster. 

"I  never  was  good  at  guessing,  Ichabod," 
she  said  simply.  "I  cal'late  you'll  jest  have 
to  tell  me.  I  know  from  the  way  you  speak 
that  it  must  be  something  perfectly  splen- 
did." 

''Wall,  now,  you  may  think  it  more  wuth- 
less  than  plain  seaweed,  an'  if  ye  do,  why 
ye  must  speak  right  out,  Sarah.  What  I 
have  come  to  offer  ye  is  Ichabod  Jones' 
love!" 

Ichabod  waited  through  a  full  minute  for 
the  answer  that  failed  to  come.  The  wom- 
an's eyes  were  gazing  out  over  the  broad 
expanse  of  the  Atlantic,  which  opened  so 
gloriously  before  them.  He  took  one  of  her 
hands  in  his,  and  pressed  it  gently  as  he 
went  on  speaking. 

"It's  true  that  I'm  some  old,  but  I  ain't 
crippled.  An'  arter  all  these  years  o' — yes, 
oh,  hell! — I  want  to  be  loved  ag'in.  Sarah, 
I'll  tell  ye,  an'  it's  God's  truth,  I  never  did 


226         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

love  that  triflin'  woman.  I  have  come  to 
that  idea  arter  a  long  time  o'  thinkin*.  I 
was  young,  an'  I  thought  I  loved  her,  but, 
Sarah,  I  just  had  my  haid  turned.  Time  is 
now  tellin'  my  true  feelin's.'* 

Still  the  woman  made  no  answer,  but  her 
very  silence  gave  encouragement  to  the 
wooer. 

'Tm  through  with  fishin'  an'  lonely  livin*, 
whether  or  no,  Sarah.  All  these  years  that 
I've  hung  around  alone,  it  hain't  cost  me 
much  to  live,  an'  I've  got  a  right  smart  o* 
money  saved  up.  Ye  know,  this  hotel  ain't 
big  'nough  fer  all  the  Yankees  that'd  like  to 
stop  on  the  way  up  an'  down  offen  their 
yachts.  I  was  a-thinkin'  las'  night  what  a 
thing  it'd  be  for  me  an'  you  to  be  real  part- 
ners, an'  let  me  spend  some  o'  the  savin's 
to  double  the  size  o'  the  hotel,  an'  hire 
'nough  help  to  take  the  strain  offen  you  in 
runnin'  o'  it." 

The  mingling  of  romance  and  practical 
worldly  advantage  won  Miss  Porter's  con- 
sent to  the  plea  of  her  suitor.  Perhaps, 
either  would  have  sufficed  of  itself;  cer- 
tainly, together,  they  were  irresistible.     Ich- 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  DARK        227 

abod  was  all  a-tremble  with  happiness  and 
pride,  as  the  spinster  coyly  offered  her 
cheek  to  his  kiss. 

He  started  guiltily  a  moment  later,  as  a 
huge  negress  appeared  in  the  doorway,  and 
bawled  at  him: 

"Mr.  Ichabod,  the  'phone  is  a-callin'  yoh- 
all." 


CHAPTER  XIX 
Bottled  Up 

CAPTAIN  ICHABOD  JONES  stepped 
briskly  into  Squire  Chadwick*s  court- 
room— ^which  was  otherwise  the  par- 
lor in  his  modest  home.  Van  Dusen,  that 
very  shrewd  detective,  observed  that  the 
old  man  trod  with  a  jatmtier  step  than  here- 
tofore, and  that  his  expression  was  one  of 
smug  complacency.  He  wondered  a  little  as 
to  just  what  might  have  occurred  to  make 
this  change  so  swiftly.  He  could  not  guess 
that  a  romance  of  twenty  years  was  con- 
cerned, but  his  observant  eyes  told  him 
that  in  some  mysterious  fashion  this  aged 
native  had  foimd  a  new  happiness  in  life 
within  the  hour. 

That  happiness  indeed  was  a  thing  as- 
sured in  the  opinion  of  Captain  Ichabod. 
The  smile  that  Van  Dusen  fotmd  so  hard  to 

interpret    was    the    outward    expression    of 

228 


BOTTLED  UP  229 

great  things  within  the  old  man's  soul.  He 
had  loved  his  loneliness.  Now,  he  was  re- 
joicing that  no  more  would  his  life  be 
lonely!  The  gulls  and  fish-hawks  and  sand- 
crabs  could  take  possession  of  the  old  shack 
that  had  sheltered  him  for  years.  He  cared 
nothing  for  that.  Shortly,  he  would  be 
known  as  Ichabod  Jones,  proprietor  of  a 
fashionable  tourist  hotel.  He  chuckled,  and 
his  lips  moved  into  the  travesty  of  a  kiss. 

'Tm  a-sayin'  good-bye  to  that-thar  her- 
mit o'  Captain  Icky's  Island,  what  lived 
thar  fer  twenty  year.  He  hain't  a-goin' 
to  live  thar  no  more." 

The  warrant  was  speedily  signed  and  duly 
sworn  to,  after  which  Van  Dusen  and  Cap- 
tain Jones  hurried  to  board  the  yacht.  The 
two  chartered  motor  boats  arrived.  Since 
The  Hialdo  had  the  legs  of  the  others,  it 
took  both  in  tow  to  bring  them  to  the  point 
whereat  the  search  was  to  start.  On  reach- 
ing the  Island,  the  red  skiff  also  was  taken 
in  tow  at  Ichabod's  suggestion,  since  its 
draft  would  permit  it  to  penetrate  shallows 
impenetrable  to  the  other  craft. 

At    a    point    midway    between    Harker's 


^30         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

Island  and  Smyrna,  Uncle  Ichabod  directed 
that  one  of  the  chartered  boats  should  be 
sent  over  and  along  the  shores  of  the  Island, 
then  to  proceed  up  the  Banks  shore,  but 
not  so  far  as  to  prevent  the  deputy  from 
covering  the  southerly  section  of  Core  Sound 
with  his  field-glasses  in  order  to  detect  any 
attempt  to  retrace  the  route  by  the  Doc- 
tor in  the  tender.  This  laimch  having  been 
dispatched,  The  Hialdo  resumed  her  course, 
with  the  other  boats  still  in  tow. 

The  next  objective  in  the  cruise  was  At- 
lantic— a  long  way  up  the  Soimd.  Thence,  it 
was  the  intention  to  send  the  other  char- 
tered boat  back  along  the  westerly  shore, 
with  instructions  to  go  into  every  inlet  and 
cove  and  bay,  no  matter  how  small,  pro- 
vided they  could  navigate  it,  there  to  make 
diligent  inquiry  of  every  person  seen  on  the 
shores. 

Van  Dusen  had  already  prepared  reward 
notices,  offering  five  thousand  dollars  for  the 
safe  return  of  Ethel  Marion,  and  one  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  capture  of  her  abductor. 
These  posters  were  given  to  the  deputies 
with  instructions  that  they  shotild  be  posted 


BOTTLED  UP  231 

in  every  fishing  hamlet.  It  was  the  belief 
of  the  detective  that  the  effect  of  these 
would  be  to  send  out  a  swarm  of  fishing 
boats  to  search  every  nook  and  cranny  of 
the  territory. 

Before  turning  in  from  the  main  channel 
to  the  pier  at  Atlantic,  Van  Dusen  had  the 
second  patrol  boat  turned  loose  under  the 
charge  of  his  deputy.  He  gave  instruc- 
tions that  four  blasts  of  the  yacht*s  siren 
should  be  imderstood  as  a  signal  for  the 
smaller  craft  to  return  to  The  Hialdo. 

It  was  learned  beyond  doubt  at  Atlantic 
that  the  Doctor  and  Ethel  had  been  there. 
There  were  a  score  of  witnesses  to  the  fact. 
The  entire  hamlet  was  loud  in  its  praises  of 
this  stranger,  who,  by  his  skill,  had  saved 
a  life  without  thought  of  fee.  Captain  Icha- 
bod's  anxious  inquiries  elicited  the  informa- 
tion that  there  was  indeed  a  Dominick  rooster 
aboard  the  tender,  perched  on  the  forward 
deck.  One  boy,  of  a  fine  imaginative  mind, 
declared  that  the  bird  was  tethered  by  a 
string  tied  to  one  of  his  legs.  That  false  in- 
formation stirred  the  wrath  of  Uncle  Icky, 
so  that  he  was  moved  to  mutter: 


Wl         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

"Yep,  I  reckin  they're  a-savin'  'im  fer 
broth — consam  'em!" 

At  the  principal  store  in  the  town,  soon 
after  the  arrival  of  the  yacht,  there  was  a 
scene  of  unusual  excitement.  Conspicu- 
ously posted  was  the  notice  typewritten  by 
Van  Dusen  of  the  reward  for  Doctor  Garnet's 
capture.  But  here  sentiment  was  overwhelm- 
ingly strong  in  the  physician's  favor.  A  local 
orator  made  an  impassioned  speech  to  defend 
this  wonderful  physician,  who  had  shown 
such  ability  in  saving  of  life  without  charge. 
He  insisted  that  the  townsfolk  should  throw 
out  the  "furriners"  who  desired  the  arrest 
of  such  a  man. 

Van  Dusen  was  in  a  desperate  hurry,  but 
when  he  sensed  the  feeling  of  the  crowd,  he 
was  at  pains  to  tell  them,  very  simply,  the 
facts.  He  declared  that,  in  all  probability, 
the  physician  who  had  been  guilty  of  the  kid- 
napping was  a  crazy  man.      v 

After  touching  at  Atlantic,  it  was  decided 
to  sail  the  yacht  to  the  northward,  along  the 
mainland  shore,  with  the  little  red  skiff  still 
in  tow.  There  was  more  depth  of  water  on 
this  side  and,  in  consequence,  a  larger  number 


BOTTLED  UP  233 

of  inhabited  points,  from  which  news  might 
be  gathered.  At  the  end,  there  was  a  Hght- 
house,  where  the  keeper  would  have  seen  every 
boat  that  passed. 

The  yacht  stopped  at  the  Squire  Goodwin 
landing.  There  they  learned  of  the  recent 
presence  of  the  physician  and  his  patient. 
Thence,  they  went  on  to  the  lighthouse, 
where  they  were  reassiired  by  the  keeper's 
firm  assertion  that  the  tender  had  not  passed. 
It  seemed  to  Van  Dusen  now  that  the  little 
boat  must  be  bottled  up,  so  that  its  discovery 
and  capture  could  be  only  a  matter  of  a  few 
hours.  But  there  still  remained  one  tract 
to  be  explored.    - 

For  the  voyaging  over  these  shallows,  the 
red  skiff  was  needed.  The  three  men  entered 
it,  cast  off  from  the  yacht,  hoisted  sail,  and 
set  forward  toward  the  desolate  land  of  the 
sand  dimes,  the  wild  ponies,  the  goats  and 
the  beach-combers.  .  .  .  And  it  was  Captain 
Ichabod  who  sat  in  the  stem,  handling 
proudly  both  sheets  and  tiller. 


CHAPTER  XX 
The  Truth  Unalloyed 

THE  lowly  home  where  Ethel  had  passed 
the  previous  night  was  as  a  palace 
compared  with  this  structure  of  beach- 
provided  boards  and  shingles,  over  the  thresh- 
old of  which  she  was  ushered,  supported  on 
the  arm  of  her  protector.  Doctor  Gifford  Gar- 
net. As  she  stepped  over  the  sill,  she  had  a 
sense  of  apprehension,  that  ran  over  her  flesh 
like  chills.  They  were  the  physical  expres- 
sion of  fright.  She  was  downright  afraid  of 
this  dark,  dank,  dungeon-like  room.  Her 
emotion  was  emphasized  by  a  realization  that 
her  escort  was  a  mentally  unbalanced,  drug- 
mad  man.  Ethel,  realizing  something  of  the 
danger  in  her  environment,  had  set  herself 
to  carry  a  bold  demeanor.  She  would  not  let 
the  man  know  either  her  fears  or  her  suspicions. 

234 


THE  TRUTH  UNALLOYED         235 

She  meant  to  assume  toward  him  an  air  of 
confidence. 

There  was  a  single  window  in  the  room, 
which  had  a  wooden  shutter,  swimg  on  leather 
hinges.  This  was  closed,  so  effectively  that 
not  a  particle  of  light  filtered  in  from  outside. 
It  was  only  by  the  illumination  through  the 
open  door  that  any  light  entered.  Ethel 
hobbled  across  the  room  to  the  window,  and 
threw  open  the  shutter. 

The  setting  sun  threw  its  rays  freely  into 
the  interior  of  the  shack,  as  the  girl  looked 
about  her.  She  saw  tiers  of  bunks  on  either 
side.  In  the  center  of  the  room  were  a  table 
and  some  rough  chairs.  An  oil  lamp  stood 
upon  the  table.  In  a  comer  of  the  room  were 
a  cook-stove  and  the  ordinary  utensils  for 
cooking.  A  curious  conglomeration  showed 
on  some  shelves  at  one  side.  In  some  of  the 
bunks,  there  were  blankets.  Ethel  regarded 
those  blankets  with  satisfaction.  They  would 
mean  warmth  for  the  night,  should  she  be 
compelled  to  spend  it  here. 

The  Doctor's  nerves  did  not  improve.  While 
the  girl  dropped  down  to  rest  on  one  of  the 
imcomfortable  chairs,  he  walked  the  floor  to 


236         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

and  fro  in  silence.  His  muscles  were  twitch- 
ing, and  his  eyes  were  wide-lidded,  though 
the  pupils  were  only  pin-points. 

Ethel  watched  him  closely.  Now,  when  at 
last  her  suspicions  were  aroused,  she  studied 
as  if  for  her  own  salvation  every  aspect  of 
this  man,  whom  at  first  she  had  looked  on  as 
her  savior,  but  now  regarded  with  a  dread 
imspeakable. 

At  last,  to  relieve  the  tension  of  her  terror, 
she  requested  the  Doctor  to  go  out  to  look  for 
a  sail  or  any  craft  that  he  might  hail.  He 
went  obediently  enough.  As  soon  as  he  had 
left  the  room,  she  moved  her  seat  so  that  she 
could  watch  him. 

He  walked  hurriedly  to  the  boat,  where, 
using  water  from  the  jug,  he  prepared  another 
measure  of  the  drug  and  shot  it  into  his  arm. 
When  he  had  done  this,  he  raised  the  vial 
that  had  held  the  pellet  of  morphia,  and 
stared  at  its  emptiness  with  affrighted  eyes. 
Then,  at  last,  with  a  cry  of  utter  despair,  he 
cast  the  bit  of  glass  into  the  sea.  The  watcher 
vmderstood  that  he  had  used  the  last  atom  of 
the  drug.  The  knowledge  filled  her  with  new 
dismay.     She  had  already  learned  something 


THE  TRUTH  UNALLOYED         237 

as  to  what  must  be  the  tortures  of  the  drug- 
addict  deprived  of  his  supply. 

After  vainly  scanning  the  horizon  for  a  few 
minutes,  Garnet  retiimed  to  the  hut,  carrying 
the  girl's  blankets  in  one  hand,  the  water  jug 
in  the  other.  When  he  had  set  the  jug  by 
the  stove,  he  went  to  the  cleaner-looking  of 
the  bimks,  where  he  deftly  arranged  the 
blankets  for  his  patient.  ^ 

The  sight  of  his  preparations  brought  an 
increase  of  Ethel's  distress  at  the  prospect  of  a 
night  to  be  passed  in  the  company  of  the  dis- 
traught man  there  before  her.  In  her  misery, 
she  murmured  passionate  prayers  for  the  com- 
ing of  her  lover  to  save  her  from  the  imknown 
perils  of  the  night.  Her  situation  seemed  to 
her  desperate  beyond  endurance.  Yet,  she 
could  not  fly  from  it  by  reason  of  her  injured 
ankle.  She  had  no  recourse  but  to  remain 
inactive,  helpless,  in  an  agony  of  dread.  She 
could  not  take  comfort  from  the  thought  that 
the  man  had  always  treated  her  with  scrup- 
ulous respect.  Now,  he  was  no  longer  sane, 
and  his  past  courtesy  could  offer  no  promise 
for  the  future.  Had  she  but  known,  she 
might  have  been  comforted  by  the  fact  that 


238        WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

the  long-continued  secret  indtilgence  in  mor- 
phia had  killed  in  him  every  desire  and 
passion  save  one — a  mad  craving  for  the  drug 
itself,  and  for  more,  and  more. 

Ethel  urged  the  Doctor  to  share  with  her 
the  food  provided  for  them  by  Mr.  Goodwin. 
But  he  refused,  declaring  that  he  was  too 
greatly  worried  over  the  misfortime  in  which 
she  was  involved.  The  girl  then  decided  that 
she  would  not  dare  to  sleep  while  the  crazed 
man  was  present  with  her.  She  determined 
to  remain  in  her  seat.  She  was  so  worn  with 
fatigue  that  she  did  not  dare  lie  down  on  the 
comfortable  blanket,  where  she  would  be 
unable  to  resist  falling  asleep.  So  she  sat 
huddled  in  a  mood  of  sick  misery,  while  the 
Doctor  ceaselessly  paced  to  and  fro  the  length 
of  the  hut,  like  a  wild  beast  caged. 

Presently,  Garnet  halted,  and  insisted  that 
Ethel  should  lie  down  in  the  btmk  to  rest. 
This  she  refused  to  do,  and  she  persisted  in  her 
refusal  when  urged  a  second  and  a  third  time. 
But,  after  her  third  refusal,  Garnet  regarded 
her  with  an  expression  of  utter  despair.  Then 
he  spoke,  in  a  changed  voice,  shaken  with 
emotion. 


THE  TRUTH  UNALLOYED         239 

*'Miss  Marion,  I  believe  that  you  have  be- 
come afraid  of  me!** 

Having  uttered  the  words,  he  sank  down 
heavily  on  one  of  the  vacant  chairs.  His 
breath  came  hard  and  fast.  He  seemed  like 
a  man  about  to  suffer  a  stroke  of  apoplexy. 
Then,  suddenly,  he  burst  into  tears. 

The  man's  loud  sobbing  stirred  the  girl's 
sympathies.  She  even  felt  a  little  guilty, 
since  her  conduct  had  caused  this  final  out- 
burst of  wretchedness.  She  was  eager  to 
soothe  him.  Certainly,  he  could  not  be  dan- 
gerous now.  She  hobbled  across  the  room 
toward  him. 

But  the  physician  ceased  his  sobs  at  her 
approach.  He  sat  erect  and  by  a  brusque 
gesture  checked  her  advance.  He  spoke  to 
her  in  a  toneless  voice.  h 

*'Miss  Marion,  when  first  you  regained 
consciousness,  you  asked  me  to  tell  the  story 
of  yotir  kidnapping.  Owing  partly  to  your 
condition  at  that  time  and  partly  to  a  certain 
dread  of  my  own,  I  only  gave  you  a  part  of 
the  story.  I  promised  to  tell  the  rest  later. 
That  time  has  now  arrived.  I  have  waited 
for  a  moment  when  I  should  feel  that  you  had 


240         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

lost  confidence  in  me,  for  the  moment  when 
I  should  know  that  you  no  longer  trusted  me. 
I  delayed  because  I  hated  to  confess  my 
weakness.  I  wished  to  appear  before  you 
still  as  a  strong  man.  And  let  me  assure  you 
that  you  are  not  in  any  slightest  danger  from 
me.  It  is  true,  I  am  a  nervous  wreck.  And 
yet,  ■  at  this  moment,  my  mind  is  clear.  I 
realize  that  the  time  has  come  for  me  to 
make  my  confession  to  you.  In  the  hope 
that  it  will  render  your  judgment  of  me  less 
harsh,  I  shall  tell  you  my  whole  story.  It 
begins  back  in  the  days  when  I  was  taking  my 
course  in  the  medical  school." 

Ethel  was  amazed  over  the  change  that 
had  so  abruptly  taken  place  in  the  man.  It 
seemed  indeed  that  he  had  recovered,  at  least 
in  some  measure,  his  accustomed  poise.  He 
appeared  less  afflicted  with  nervousness  in 
this  new  eagerness  to  talk.  She  returned 
to  her  chair  and  again  seated  herself.  There 
she  sat  in  rapt  attention  as  she  listened  to  the 
weird  narrative  of  a  great  man's  folly  and 
degradation.  As  the  tale  unfolded,  the  girl's 
heart  was  like  a  lute  swept  by  chords  and  dis- 
sonances  of   emotion.     She   was   thrilled   to 


THE  TRUTH  UNALLOYED         241 

horror,  moved  to  strange  sympathy;  by  ttims 
fearftJ  and  sympathetic. 

"I  believe/*  the  Doctor  went  on,  ''that  I 
was  a  more  than  ordinarily  hard-working  stu- 
dent. Night  after  night  I  burned  the  mid- 
night oil.  I  was  ambitious  to  forge  ahead.  I 
was  eager  to  finish  my  course  and  to  begin 
the  practice  of  the  profession  that  I  so  deeply 
loved.  I  was  possessed  by  a  feeling  that  I 
had  been  created  for  this  calling.  I  believed 
that  I  was  destined  to  obtain  eminence  in  my 
chosen  career, 

''Everything  went  well  until  I  became 
friends  with  a  certain  young  tutor  in  the  uni- 
versity. He  noticed  that  I  was  working  hard, 
and  that  sometimes  I  would  begin  the  day 
tired  and  depressed,  when,  naturally,  my  mind 
would  not  be  as  bright  as  it  should  be.  .  .  . 
The  man  was  a  vampire  of  viciousness — only 
desirous  to  corrupt.  .  .  .  And  I  was  an  easy 
mark!  The  only  excuse  I  have  to  offer  is 
my  age. 

"This  man  was  a  drug-fiend.  He  used  mor- 
phia slyly,  knowing  full  well  what  the  out- 
come must  be.  It  was  that  hideous  knowl- 
edge that  made  him  eager  to  enchain  others, 


242         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

even  as  he  himself  was  enchained,  so  that  he 
would  not  be  alone  in  the  final  catastrophe. 

"One  day  when  I  was  in  the  dumps,  he 
came  to  me,  placed  his  hand  on  my  shoulder, 
and  said: 

'* '  Gifford,  come  with  me.  I  want  to  make  a 
new  man  out  of  you.*  .  .  .  He  did! — the  kind 
of  man  you'll  know  me  to  be  when  my  story 
is  done. 

"I  went  with  him  to  his  room.  From  a 
small  bottle,  he  handed  me  a  pellet,  with  in- 
struction to  swallow  it.  I  must  ask  no  ques- 
tion— merely  return  to  my  work,  and  see  if 
it  did  not  ease  my  labors.  I  did  as  directed. 
I  found  the  promised  relief — I  could  do  won- 
ders. Very  soon,  I  became  the  leader  of  my 
class.  There  were  no  questions  asked.  When- 
ever I  felt  depressed,  I  went  to  the  tutor's 
room  and  he  came  to  my  rescue. 

*'It  was  nearly  a  month  before  I  was  cer- 
tain what  he  was  giving  me.  As  you.  Miss 
Marion,  have  trusted  me  as  a  friend,  so  I 
trusted  this  man.  One  day  I  went  back  to 
this  fellow  for  more  'Brain  Food' — as  I  had 
innocently  begun  to  term  it.    I  had  been 


THE  TRUTH  UNALLOYED         243 

accustomed  to  entering  his  room  without 
knocking,  but  on  this  occasion  the  door  was 
locked.  He  heard  me  rattHng  the  knob,  and 
called  out  to  know  who  was  there.  I  shouted 
in  answer  and  said  it  was  Garnet  after  more 
Brain  Food.  He  then  imlatched  the  door  and 
admitted  me.  His  coat  was  off  and  one  arm 
was  bare.  Upon  a  small  stand  was  a  hypo- 
dermic outfit.  I  was  surprised,  for  I  had 
never  seen  the  fellow  take  medicine  of  any- 
kind.  He  laughingly  remarked  that  I  was 
just  in  time — that  he  was  not  feeling  quite 
himself  and  so  was  taking  a  little  Brain  Food 
'the  other  way.' 

*'I  guessed  now  that  the  drug  I  had  been 
taking  was  indeed  morphia.  For  a  moment, 
I  was  startled  and  alarmed.  But  the  fright 
was  of  short  duration.  I  had  already  devel- 
oped a  craving  for  this  thing  that  so  helped 
me  on  with  my  work.  The  tutor  bade  me 
remove  my  coat,  roll  up  my  shirt-sleeve,  and 
allow  him  to  give  me  a  little  Brain  Food  in 
his  way.  Needless  to  say,  I  did  as  he  ordered. 
That  was  my  first  'shot*.  .  .  .  Years  ago, 
that  man  killed  himself — ^perhaps  in  remorse 


244         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

for  his  crime  against  me  and  others  corrupted 
by  him." 

The  Doctor  sat  silent  for  a  long  minute  in 
brooding  contemplation  over  this  beginning 
of  the  vice  that  had  mastered  him,  and  now 
threatened  at  last  to  destroy  him.        > 

"It  was  not  long  after  this/'  he  resumed, 
still  with  that  toneless  monotony  of  voice, 
"that  I  began  my  life-work.  Sometimes, 
I  would  go  for  long  periods  without  resorting 
to  the  needle.  That  has  helped  me  in  the 
deception  of  my  patients.  For  long  inter- 
vals, I  could  endure  without  the  drug.  Then, 
during  periods  of  great  mental  strain  and 
physical  depression  from  all-night  vigils,  I 
would  invariably  fall  back  upon  my  old 
Brain  Food.  Occasionally,  such  a  relapse 
would  develop  into  what  might  be  termed  a 
morphia  spree.  It  was  at  the  time  of  my 
last  spree  that — to  my  destruction,  and  your 
discomfiture  and  suffering — I  was  called  to 
treat  you  aboard  The  Isabel.'' 

It  seemed  to  Ethel  that  Doctor  Garnet 
wearied  of  his  long  discourse.  He  now  arose 
from  his  chair,  and  once  again  he  began  to 


THE  TRUTH  UNALLOYED         245 

pace  the  floor  uneasily.  It  appeared  that  he 
was  debating  in  his  mind  whether  or  not  he 
should  continue  his  narrative.       > 

Ethel,  moved  to  pity  by  the  man's  evident 
deep  distress,  suggested  that  he  should  put 
off  the  further  telling  imtil  morning  when  he 
would  be  rested.  She  tugged  him  to  repose 
in  one  of  the  bunks  until  the  morrow,  after 
which  she  would  listen  to  him  again.  But  to 
this  he  objected,  declaring  that  he  had  made 
up  his  mind  to  tell  the  whole  story.  Unless 
she  should  refuse  to  listen,  he  would  continue. 
Ethel  admitted  her  willingness  to  hear  the 
remainder  of  the  narrative. 

*'I  suppose,"  the  Doctor  continued,  still 
in  that  dead  level  of  monotonous  recitation, 
"at  the  time  that  I  boarded  the  yacht  that 
you  were  suffering  so  greatly  from  your  in- 
jvired  ankle  that  you  did  not  detect  my  deplor- 
able condition.  Of  course,  I  should  not  have 
gone  in  answer  to  your  call.  But  I  realized 
that  you  were  alone,  and  I  had  explicit  in- 
structions from  yoiu:  father  to  care  for  you. 
So,  duty  called  me.  Then,  after  adminis- 
tering to  you  a  sedative  of  extra  strength,  in 


246         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

the  next  instant  I  injected  more  of  the  death- 
dealing  drug  into  my  own  arm.  From  that 
moment,  the  Doctor  Garnet  that  you  knew 
and  trusted  became  a  Mr.  Hyde.  Gifford 
Garnet  did  not  wish  to  do  you  harm " 

''But " 

"But  Mr.  Hyde  became  obsessed  with  an 
insane  desire  to  have  you — a  yoimg  woman 
absolutely  pure  in  heart — to  have  you  enjoy 
with  him  the  wonderful  sensations  derived 
from  the  hideous  drug  to  which  he  was  sub- 
ject." 

The  revelation,  shocking  as  it  was,  brought 
a  profound  relief  to  the  listening  girl.  The 
confession  shone  like  a  sun  through  the  mists 
of  fear  that  had  fallen  upon  her.  She  lis- 
tened now  in  a  mood,  not  of  fright,  but  all  of 
pity. 

"I  told  you  when  you  asked  me  about  the 
fate  of  the  kidnappers  that  the  ring  leader  had 
escaped.  That  was  the  truth.  He  did  es- 
cape. But  he*s  here  to-night,  a  prisoner — 
a  confessed  criminal,  in  your  hands,  Miss 
Marion. 

*'I  drugged  the  man  in  charge  of  the  yacht. 


THE  TRUTH  UNALLOYED         247 


A 


Then  I  chained  him  to  the  engine.  When  he 
aroused  from  his  stupor,  I  had  everything 
ready  for  the  yacht's  sailing.  I  forced  the 
man  to  answer  the  bells  as  given  from  the 
bridge,  under  penalty  of  death.  The  most  of 
the  time  I  kept  you  under  the  influence  of 
my  drug.  Much  of  the  trip  is  a  blank  to  me. 
Why  we  were  not  swallowed  up  in  the  great 
waters  of  the  Atlantic,  I  cannot  understand. 
It  must  have  been,  Miss  Marion,  that  God 
stretched  out  His  Arm  to  save  you.  ...  At 
the  time  the  yacht  struck  and  was  destroyed, 
I  was  a  raving  maniac. 

"Then,  somehow,  I  once  again  became  sane. 
That  was  while  I  watched  an  old  fisherman, 
who  rescued  you  from  the  pounding  seas. 

''At  last,  I  remembered  the  man  chained 
to  the  engine.  It  was  fear  of  him  that  made 
me  flee.  When  the  kindly  old  fisherman  went 
in  search  of  a  physician  for  your  sake,  I  was 
wild  with  the  desire  of  flight.  I  could  see 
always  the  accusing  eyes  of  that  man  there  in 
the  depths  of  the  sea,  staring  up  at  me — ^his 
murderer!  ...  So,  I  took  you  and  fled  with 
you  in  the  tender.*' 


248         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

Ethel  looked  at  the  man,  whom  she  had 
known  and  trusted  as  the  family  physician, 
with  widened  eyes  of  horror.  This  trusted 
friend,  by  his  own  avowal,  was  not  only  thief 
and  kidnapper — ^he  was  a  murderer! 


CHAPTER  XXI 
Sealed  Orders 

DOCTOR  GARNET,  seeing  the  effect 
made  upon  the  girl  by  the  conclusion 
of  the  story,  did  not  approach  her 
or  try  to  relieve  her,  as  had  been  his  wont. 
At  the  moment  he  felt  himself  too  low,  too 
despicable,  to  lay  his  hands  on  this  fair  girl, 
even  as  a  physician.  Moreover,  he  knew  that 
it  would  not  be  long  ere  she  recovered  her 
calm.  Indeed,  only  a  few  minutes  elapsed 
before  Ethel  had  passed  through  the  crisis  of 
her  emotion.  Her  mind  clear  again,  she 
stared  at  the  man  with  an  imconcealed  repug- 
nance, under  which  he  cringed.  She  thought 
with  dismay  of  the  dreadful  thing  Doctor 
Garnet  had  done.  She  even  wondered  now 
with  new  distress  as  to  what  her  friends  must 
have  thought  concerning  her  secret  departure. 

It  seemed  to  her  that  the  truth  was  too  fan- 

249 


2oO         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

tastic  a  thing  to  be  credited  by  the  world  at 
large.  It  woiild  scoff  at  this  explanation  of  a 
young  girl's  sailing  for  days  with  a  man,  prac- 
tically alone,  on  her  own  yacht.  She  shud- 
dered at  thought  of  the  slanders  sure  to  be  her 
portion.     How  her  father  would  grieve  over 

this  disgrace  of  his  daughter!    How  Roy 

Appalled,  she  thrust  the  terrifying  thought 
from  her  mind.  .  .  .  And  there  was  the  mur- 
der of  the  caretaker!  Woiild  the  public  not 
believe  her  an  accomplice,  by  consent  at 
least,  in  that  forcible  holding  of  him  to  the 
engine? 

Ethel's  thoughts  veered  to  Roy  again. 
But,  now,  there  was  something  of  comfort 
in  her  musing.  It  occurred  to  her  that  he 
at  least  would  believe  the  truth,  though  all 
the  rest  of  the  world  should  mock  at  it  as  a  lie. 
Besides,  there  was  the  message  she  had 
thrown  into  the  sea  for  him,  which  she  had 
seen  picked  up  by  the  fisherman.  There  was 
no  doubt  in  her  mind  now  that  Roy  had 
received  it.  There  came  a  little  glow  of  cour- 
age in  her  heart  as  she  reflected  that  even  at 
this  very  moment  he  was  searching  desper- 
ately for  her.  .  .  .  Had  she  been  outside  the 


SEALED  ORDERS  251 

cabin  just  then,  she  might  have  seen  the  lights 
of  The  HialdOy  on  which  her  lover  was  being 
carried  to  Beaufort,  there  to  receive  the 
news  of  her  having  left  Ichabod*s  Island 
alive. 

A  new  courage  for  herself  left  her  free  to 
feel  compassion  toward  the  miserable  being 
who  had  done  her  such  grievous  wrong.  She 
could  guess  in  some  measure  from  the  man's 
lined  and  haggard  face  and  twitching  body 
how  great  was  his  suffering  and  remorse. 
From  the  fact  that  he  had  made  such  a  full 
confession  of  his  guilt,  she  knew  that  he 
would  make  every  restitution  in  his  power. 
Sympathy  for  him,  added  to  sympathy  for 
herself,  proved  too  much  for  her  self-restraint. 
Woman-like,  she  hid  her  face  in  her  arms 
outstretched  on  the  table,  and  wept. 

After  a  little  while,  the  fit  of  weeping  ended. 
The  girl  brushed  away  the  tears,  and  again 
sat  erect.  Then,  for  a  long  time,  neither  she 
nor  the  man  opposite  her  moved  or  spoke. 
What,  indeed,  was  there  for  her  to  say  to  him 
who  had  made  her  his  victim?  She  had  not 
the  heart  to  reproach  him.  She  could  find 
no  word  of  comfort.    It  seemed  to  her  that 


252         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

there  could  be  no  assuagement  of  his  misery 
— that  he  were  better  dead.  If  he  Hved, 
he  must  be  a  fugitive  from  justice,  or, 
if  captured,  he  must  be  tried  and  con- 
demned for  murder.  Or  he  might  end  his 
days  in  a  mad-house.  Surely,  death  were 
preferable. 

But  Ethel  knew  that  Doctor  Garnet,  despite 
her  earlier  belief,  was  not  mad.  Notwith- 
standing the  tortures  he  endured,  his  narra- 
tive to  her  had  revealed  a  mind  lucid  and 
sane.  She  wondered  suddenly  if,  after  all, 
it  might  be  possible  somehow  to  save  him  from 
the  law's  penalty?  Yet,  the  damning  evi- 
dence of  the  murdered  man  in  the  wreck  of 
the  yacht  could  not  be  concealed.  The  con- 
sequence of  it  would  be  that  there  could  be 
no  safety  for  the  guilty  one — at  least  on  this 
continent. 

That  last  phrase  brought  inspiration  to  the 
girl.  There  flashed  into  her  mind  a  thought 
of  another  continent,  where  death  was  riding 
ruthless  over  countless  thousands.  There, 
under  a  new  identity,  this  miserable  creature 
might  return  to  his  manhood,  might  once  again 
exercise  his  great  skill  in  behalf  of  suffering 


SEALED  ORDERS  253 

humanity,  might  indeed  atone  for  the  past, 
might  win  a  martyr's  crown.  ...  If  he  could 
but  be  smuggled  out  of  the  country! 

It  was  hours  past  midnight  now ;  a  ghostly 
trace  of  dawn  showed  in  the  eastern  sky. 
The  physician,  it  was  evident,  was  fighting 
desperately  against  the  anguish  induced  by 
his  abstinence  after  over-indulgence  in  the 
drug.  But,  presently,  he  noted  through  the 
open  doorway  the  lightening  of  the  horizon. 
Once  again,  now,  he  spoke  to  Ethel. 

''Miss  Marion,  it's  near  daylight  and  the 
wind  is  still  holding  to  the  same  course  it  was 
blowing  yesterday.  I  see  little  chance  of 
getting  away  from  this  place  until  there  is  a 
change.  It  is,  I  should  judge,  about  twenty 
miles  to  Portsmouth.  With  your  permission, 
I  shall  set  out  for  there  at  once,  in  order  to 
procure  a  boat  and  then  return  to  you.  I'm 
sure  that  I  can  make  it.  I  shall  be  spurred 
on  by  two  of  the  strongest  incentives:  one 
is  my  anxiety  in  your  behalf;  the  other — for 
I  shall  be  frank  with  you — is  my  anxiety  to 
reach  a  physician.  I  know  that  unless  I 
can  secure  relief  within  a  few  hotirs  I  shall  be- 
come insane." 


254         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

4 

He  paused  for  a  moment,  and  then  added 
in  a  voice  surcharged  with  emotion: 

''This  has  been  a  terrible  night.  It  was  a 
horrible  ordeal  for  me  to  make  my  confession 
to  you.  But  now  I  feel  the  better  for  it.  I 
have  fought  my  hardest  to  retain  my  self- 
control,  and  I  have  succeeded  thus  far.  Now, 
if  you  can  only  continue  to  be  brave  for  a  few 
hours,  I'll  have  you  safely  on  your  way 
home." 

"But  do  you  consider  that  you  are  equal 
to  the  trip,  Doctor?"  Ethel  inquired 
doubtfully.  "Twenty  miles  is  a  long,  long 
distance  for  one  in  your  state  of  body  and 
mind.  Oh,  how  I  wish  my  ankle  was  fit,  so 
that  I  could  stand  the  journey!  But,  of 
course,  you  most  certainly  have  my  per- 
mission, Doctor  Garnet.  That  is,  on  one 
condition." 

"And  what  is  that  condition,  Miss 
Marion?" 

"  I  want  you  to  go  under  sealed  instructions. 
I  shall  write  these  out  and  give  them  to  you, 
but  you  must  not  read  them  imtil  you  have 
gone  ten  miles  up  the  shore.  Before  you 
answer,  let  me  tell  you  th^t  in  those  instruc- 


SEALED  ORDERS  ^55 

tions  you  will  find  nothing  but  what  is  to 
the  best  interests  of  both  yourself  and  me." 

'*I  owe  you  every  obedience,"  the  Doctor 
declared  instantly,  though  there  was  a  note 
of  astonishment  in  his  voice.  "It  shall  be 
as  you  wish.'* 

At  her  request,  Doctor  Garnet  provided 
Ethel  with  his  fountain-pen  and  some  pages 
torn  from  his  memorandum-book.  She  wrote 
her  instructions  hurriedly,  folded  them  and 
gave  them  to  the  physician,  who  bestowed 
them  in  his  coat-pocket.  Then,  with  a  short 
word  of  farewell,  he  set  forth  on  his  journey, 
while  the  girl,  standing  in  the  doorway,  looked 
after  him  with  brooding  eyes.  When  he  had 
disappeared  from  view,  she  seated  herself  on 
the  doorstep  and  mused  for  a  long  time  on  the 
curious  adventures  through  which  she  had 
passed,  and  of  which  the  end  was  not  yet 
come.  She  felt  a  great  content  over  being 
thus  alone,  gladdened  by  a  sheer  relief  at  the 
absence  of  the  Doctor.  She  no  longer  felt 
any  fear,  and  presently  she  limped  across 
to  the  bunk  that  had  been  prepared  for  her, 
where  she  quickly  fell  asleep  on  Ichabod's 
blankets.    When  at  last  she  awoke,  it  was 


256         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

after  a  sotind  slumber  of  some  hoiirs,  for  the 
Sim  was  now  high  in  the  heavens.  She  foimd 
herself  greatly  refreshed,  and  a  desire  came 
on  her  for  the  added  refreshment  of  a  plimge 
into  the  sea.  There  was  no  sign  of  a  htiman 
being  anywhere  within  sight,  so  she  imdressed 
and  entered  the  water. 

When  her  bath  was  ended,  and  she  was 
again  clothed,  Ethel  found  a  stick  to  serve 
her  as  a  cane,  and  with  its  aid  made  a  halting 
ascent  of  one  of  the  sand  dimes.  She  was 
surprised  and  pleased  at  the  manifest  im- 
provement in  her  ankle.  There  remained  little 
pain,  even  when  her  weight  bore  upon  it  in 
walking,  and  the  swelling  was  greatly  reduced, 
so  that  she  was  able  partly  to  button  her  shoe 
over  it.  From  the  crest  of  the  sand  dime, 
she  was  able  to  look  out  over  a  wide  expanse 
of  the  waters  all  round-about. 

To  the  eastward,  she  could  see  for  miles 
out  over  the  bosom  of  the  Atlantic.  Far  away 
in  the  distance,  she  saw  a  large  steamer 
headed  toward  the  north.  At  sight  of  it, 
she  was  swept  with  a  sick  longing  to  be  on 
board,  bound  back  to  home  and  lover.  Scat- 
tered over  the  surface  of  the  Sound  were  vis- 


SEALED  ORDERS  257 

ible  many  small  sails  of  the  fishing  boats, 
darting  to  and  fro,  many  skirting  the  shore. 
These  were,  however,  located  far  away  to  the 
southwest,  miles  distant  from  where  she  stood. 
It  was  evident  that,  for  the  time  being  at 
least,  there  would  be  no  opportimity  to  signal 
for  help.  A  sudden  reahzation  of  hvmger 
drove  her  back  to  the  shack. 

Ethel  gathered  sticks  from  the  shore  for 
the  rusty  ramshackle  stove.  She  lighted 
them  with  matches  brought  from  the  tender. 
Soon  she  had  water  boiling  for  coffee,  and 
presently,  with  the  remnants  left  from  Mrs. 
Goodwin's  supply,  the  girl  was  able  to  make  a 
meal  that  seemed  wonderfully  savory  to  her 
sharpened  appetite. 

As  the  day  lengthened,  Ethel's  mind  busied 
itself  with  the  problem  of  finding  a  means  to 
signal  her  presence.  There  was  always  the 
possibility  of  the  physician's  failure  to  reach 
his  destination.  Prudence  demanded  that  she 
herself  should  make  every  effort  possible  for 
relief.  From  her  reading,  she  remembered 
how  shipwrecked  castaways  in  similar  plight 
had  used  a  shirt  or  any  white  garment  as  a 
flag  of  distress.     She  saw  a  net-pole  lying  on 


258         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

the  strand,  which,  she  believed,  she  could 
drag  to  the  top  of  the  sand  dune,  in  spite  of 
her  ankle's  weakness.  Her  muslin  petticoat 
would  serve  as  the  banner.  The  idea  no 
sooner  presented  itself  than  she  proceeded 
to  its  execution.  The  moving  and  the  erec- 
tion of  the  heavy  pole  taxed  her  strength  to 
the  utmost,  but  it  was  at  last  accomplished, 
and  its  white  flag  fluttered  bravely  in  the  light 
breeze.  Ethel  looked  with  pride  on  her 
achievement,  and  dared  to  believe  that  her 
father,  could  he  have  seen  her  now,  would 
have  praised  her  courage  and  resourcefulness. 
She  felt  oddly  like  a  soldier  who  has  scaled 
the  wall  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  and  planted 
his  flag  in  triiunph  on  the  rampart — though 
hers  was  a  flag  of  truce.  She  siirveyed  her 
work  complacently,  though  every  muscle  was 
aching  from  long-continued  digging  in  the 
shifting  sand  with  her  bare  hands  and  the 
tramping  it  into  firmness  about  the  pole. 

When  again  she  glanced  out  over  the  Sound, 
Ethel  saw  off  to  the  northward  a  small  skiff 
sailing  toward  her.  Even  at  this  distance, 
she  was  sure  that  it  was  approaching  her 
refuge.     It  was  evident  that  her  signal  had 


She  sat  do^n  and  stared  eagerly. 


SEALED  ORDERS  259 

been  seen.  She  sat  down,  and  stared  eagerly. 
She  felt  suddenly  faint  in  the  reaction  of  joy 
over  the  prospect  of  rescue.  Then,  a  minute 
later,  the  castaway  was  forgotten  in  the 
woman.  She  hastily  pulled  her  signal  banner 
from  the  pole,  wadded  it  under  her  arm,  and 
hurried  down  the  dime  to  the  hut.  Having 
accomplished  its  extraordinary  purpose  so 
valiantly,  the  white  flag  should  now  disap- 
pear to  perform  its  ordinary  useful  service. 

And  as  the  signal  banner  came  down,  there 
sotinded  a  clarion  note,  as  if  of  victory,  from 
the  crest  of  a  neighboring  sand  dime.  It  was 
the  crowing  of  Shrimp,  still  bold  to  challenge 
the  world. 

But  Ethel  gave  no  heed  to  the  bird  that 
had  been  her  companion  for  a  time  in  mis- 
fortime.  It  occurred  to  her  that  she  ought 
not  to  go  away  from  this  place  in  such  fashion 
as  to  leave  Doctor  Garnet  to  worry  over  her 
fate,  should  he  return  and  find  her  gone.  She 
decided  that  she  wotild  offer  her  rescuers  a 
sufficient  pa3mient  to  wait  throughout  the 
day  for  his  return,  before  taking  their  depar- 
ture. 

Now,  the  boat  was  putting  in  at  some  little 


260         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

distance  up  the  shore.  But  there  could  be 
no  doubt  that  a  landing  was  intended,  for  the 
little  sail  had  been  lowered,  and  one  of  the 
men  was  sculling  toward  the  beach  with  an 
oar. 


CHAPTER  XXII 
The  Parting  Crow 

IN  this  particular  case,  the  cock  crowed, 
not  thrice,  but  once.  Indeed,  the  single 
triumphant  call  was  all  that  was  neces- 
sary. It  was  as  if  the  vainglorious  fowl  was 
aware  that  he  had  been  a  figure  in  a  tragedy, 
as  had  been  no  other  of  his  kind  since  the  time 
when  Saint  Peter  made  craven  denial  of  his 
Master. 

There  was  no  possibility  that  Captain  Icha- 
bod  could  be  deceived  as  to  the  identity  of 
the  creature's  voice.  As  the  boat  drew  in 
toward  the  shore  to  investigate  the  significance 
of  the  white  flag  that  had  fluttered  from  the 
sand  dunes  and  had  then  so  abruptly  van- 
ished, the  old  fisherman,  hearing  the  cock's 
crow,  tiimed  to  the  detective  and  Roy  Mor- 
ton, and  spoke  vehemently: 

'*Men,  did  ye  hear  that?    Whar  are  your 

261 


262         WHEN  THE   COCK  CROWS 

ears?  I'll  jest  be  John  Browned  if  that  wa'n't 
my  ole  rooster  Shrimp  a-crowin' !  Why,  men, 
I  declare  to  goodness  if  it  ain't  a  fact  as  sure 
as  shootin'.  I'd  know  that  bird's  hide  in  the 
tan-yard  with  the  feathers  off.  It's  him,  men 
— ^an'  if  he's  thar  so  is  the  gal!" 

The  all-important  feature  of  the  chase 
with  Ichabod  hitherto  had  been  to  find  Ethel. 
Not  only  on  his  own  account,  but  for  the  sake 
of  Roy,  whose  deep  distress  aroused  his  sym- 
pathies. Now,  however,  when  he  heard  his 
old  feathered  friend  lift  up  a  lusty  voice  as 
if  in  salutation,  the  fisherman  for  the  time 
being  forgot  the  graver  aspect  of  their  quest. 
A  new  emotion  dominated  him:  He  must  see 
Shrimp — ^at  once !  Forthwith,  then,  he  dropped 
the  sheets,  and  sculled  vigorously  toward  that 
part  of  the  beach  whence  had  issued  the  soimd 
of  the  crowing. 

When  the  boat  grounded,  Ichabod  excit- 
edly hastened  forward,  climbing  the  steep 
slope  of  the  nearest  dune.  Roy  and  Van 
Dusen  followed  him,  for  they  believed  in  the 
accuracy  of  the  old  man's  observation  that 
the  girl  must  in  truth  be  somewhere  near  his 
pet. 


THE  PARTING  CROW  263 

As  the  three  reached  a  cleared  space  above 
the  thick  growth  of  bushes  about  the  base 
and  sides  of  the  dune,  Uncle  Icky,  who  was 
some  distance  in  advance  of  the  others, 
stopped  short.  He  stood  for  a  few  seconds  in 
silence,  peering  intently  ahead.  Then  he  cried 
out  in  a  loud  voice: 

^'Wall,  I'll  be  eternally  damned!''  He 
pointed  a  bony  forefinger.  "Now,  what  do 
you  men  think  o'  that?  It's  him,  all  right, 
but,  by  cracky,  the  ole  devil,  as  well  as  my- 
self, has  changed  consider'ble  in  his  attitude 
toward  the  other  sex,  since  last  we  met!  Don't 
ye  see,  men,  he's  a-scratchin'  an'  a-kityka- 
dawin'  thar  fer  three  hens!" 

Both  the  old  man's  hearers  burst  out  laugh- 
ing over  this  comparison  of  the  rooster's 
conduct  to  Ichabod's  own,  of  which  they  had 
been  given  a  full  account  during  their  voyag- 
ing together. 

''Wait  a  minute,  folks,"  he  called  out  as  he 
trotted  forward,  ''till  I  gits  my  Shrimp,  an' 
then  I'll  jine  ye!" 

Ichabod  gave  his  whistle,  so  familiar  to 
the  rooster,  as  he  walked  forward.  The 
feathered  ex-alarm  clock,  now  become  a  gay 


264         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

Lothario,  looked  up  from  his  pecking  and 
scratching.  Then,  seeing  his  old  Island  com- 
panion approaching.  Shrimp  hurriedly  scur- 
ried off  into  the  thick  growth  of  bushes,  and 
as  he  went  he  issued  an  authoritative  call  to 
the  hens  to  follow,  to  which  they  rendered 
prompt  obedience.  Ichabod  halted,  and 
stared  for  a  moment  in  dismay.  He  made  no 
attempt  to  continue  the  pursuit.  He  realized 
that  the  old  rooster  had  had  a  taste  of  real 
life,  like  himself  he  had  come  to  realize  the 
mistake  of  living  alone  on  an  island  of  sandy 
waste,  far  from  the  society  of  the  gentler  sex. 
As  the  old  fisherman  returned  to  his  com- 
panions he  spoke  gravely: 

"Wall,  I  don't  know  as  how  I  can 
blame  him.  If  he's  gittin'  as  much  pleasure 
out  o'  his  new  life  as  I  aim  to  git  out  o'  mine, 
I  don't  believe  as  how  he  orter  be  disturbed. 
He  sure  was  a  faithful  alarmer,  an'  I  don't 
see  any  reason  why  he  shouldn't  make  a 
good  husband  an'  father  o'  a  family." 

The  three  now  descended  to  the  shore  line. 
They  had  made  their  landing  in  such  haste 
that  they  had  failed  to  see  the  little  tender 
lying  in  the  cove  a  short  distance  below. 


THE  PARTING  CROW  265 

Then,  presently,  the  eyes  of  the  three  fell 
on  the  shack.  Roy  halted  as  abruptly  as 
had  Ichabod  at  the  sight  of  Shrimp,  though 
with  a  vastly  more  poignant  emotion — for 
in  the  window  he  saw  the  face  of  the  girl  he 
loved.  As  he  saw  the  smile  of  recognition 
and  blissful  welcoming,  he  set  out  on  a  run 
for  the  cabin.  A  moment  later  he  disap- 
peared within  it. 

Ichabod  and  the  detective  discreetly  re- 
frained from  following  Roy  at  once.  They 
gave  their  attention  instead  to  a  sailboat  that 
was  approaching.  They  took  the  newcomer 
— for  the  boat  had  only  a  single  occupant — 
for  a  fisherman  seeking  to  win  the  reward, 
though  they  could  not  understand  why  he 
should  be  coming  from  the  northward.  The 
watchers  were  still  further  puzzled  when  the 
boat,  instead  of  bearing  shoreward,  abruptly 
shifted  its  course  and  swung  in  a  wide  circle, 
returning  the  way  it  had  come.  The  two 
men  then  walked  to  the  tender,  which,  as  it 
was  now  low  tide,  la}^  fully  exposed  on  the 
beach.  At  sight  of  the  shorn  propeller,  they 
understood  the  reason  of  the  interrupted  voy- 
age.    But  they  could  make  no  guess  as  to  the 


^m         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

whereabouts  of  Doctor  Garnet  himself.  They 
waited  with  feverish  impatience  for  the  ap- 
pearance of  Roy,  with  such  information  as 
he  should  have  gathered  from  Ethel.  In  the 
meantime,  they  kept  a  sharp  lookout  all 
about,  in  the  hope  that  the  physician,  being 
only  temporarily  absent,  might  reappear  at 
any  moment. 

At  last,  Roy  issued  from  the  cabin.  He 
carried  a  chair  in  his  left  hand,  while  his  right 
arm  supported  his  betrothed.  He  placed  the 
chair  on  the  shady  side  of  the  shack,  and  ten- 
derly bestowed  the  girl  in  it. 

Ichabod  and  Van  Du'sen  came  forward. 
Ethel  greeted  the  detective  warmly  as  an  old 
acquaintance,  and  thanked  him  gratefully  for 
the  part  he  had  played  in  the  rescue.  But 
she  looked  with  bewilderment  on  the  leathery 
visage  of  the  fisherman.  She  was  sure  she 
had  seen  the  face  of  the  old  man  somewhere 
once  before,  but  she  could  by  no  means  find  a 
precise  recollection  of  time  or  place.  Then 
Roy  spoke  in  introduction  of  Ichabod  to  her, 
and  explained  the  mystery. 

"This  is  Captain  Ichabod  Jones.  To  him, 
Ethel,  you  owe  your  life.     It  was  he  who  res- 


THE  PARTING   CROW  267 

cued  you  from  the  wreck  of  The  Isabel,  and 
faced  death  himself  to  do  it.  To  him  also  we 
owe  our  discovery  of  you  here/* 

Ethel  bestowed  so  radiant  a  smile  on  the 
old  fisherman  that  he  fairly  thrilled  with 
pleasure. 

"You  must  tell  me  the  whole  story  some 
time  soon,"  the  girl  said,  after  she  had  uttered 
a  few  phrases  of  earnest  thanks. 

"Miss  Marion,"  replied  Captain  Ichabod, 
"jest  the  pullin'  o*  a  poor  drowned  woman 
out  o*  the  water  arter  the  waves  has  laid  her 
right  smack  at  your  feet,  an'  then  a-pumpin* 
a  little  swallered  brine  out  o*  her  lungs  don't 
call  for  no  fuss  like  what  you  an'  Mr.  Morton 
makes  over  it.  It'd  be  a  mighty-sorry  htmian 
what'd  a  let  you  lay  thar  an'  die.  That's 
the  way  I  feel  'bout  it.  'S'fur's  findin'  o' 
ye  here  is  consarned,  that  hain't  so." 

He  pointed  at  Roy  as  he  continued : 

"Thar's  the  feller  what  found  ye,  an'  if 
thar's  any  other  thanks  a-comin'  they'd  orter 
go  to  an  old  rooster,  what  used  to  live  with 
me.  Which  flighty  bird  eloped  with  you  an' 
that  tallow-faced  Doctor.  His  crowin'  did 
the  business.'* 


268         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

The  Captain  chuckled. 

"An',  by  cracky,  I'm  a-thinkin'  from  what 
we  jest  see  that  he's  already  got  his  reward!" 

Van  Dusen,  who  had  been  showing  signs 
of  restlessness,  now  interrupted. 

"I  have  a  professional  reputation  at  stake," 
he  declared,  a  little  grimly.  "I  quite  under- 
stand that  you  two  loVers  are  perfectly  happy 
in  being  thus  reunited  again.  But  there  still 
remains  a  duty  to  perform.  I  must  catch 
Garnet.  Please,  Miss  Marion,  tell  me  where 
he  has  gone,  what  his  intentions  are." 

"He  is  off  on  a  mission  of  mercy,"  Ethel 
replied.  "He  has  gone  to  get  a  boat  to 
come  back  here  for  me." 

She  explained  in  detail  concerning  the  phy- 
sician's project. 

"I  expect  him  back  at  any  minute,"  she 
concluded.  "If  you  folks  will  sit  down  and 
wait  patiently,  your  quarry  will  come  to  you." 
t  Van  Dusen  asked  some  further  questions, 
which  the  girl  answered  frankly,  to  all  appear- 
ance. The  detective  was  convinced  that  he 
had,  as  she  suggested,  only  to  remain  in  wait- 
ing at  the  shack,  to  make  sure  of  capturing 
his  man  within  a  few  hours.     He  dismissed  his 


THE  PARTING  CROW  269 

anxiety  concerning  Garnet,  and  for  the  grat- 
ification of  his  ciiriosity,  begged  for  a  full 
narrative  of  the  events  that  had  happened 
after  Ethel  regained  consciousness. 

The  girl  did  not  demur,  but  told  the  whole 
story  of  her  dreadful  experiences.  The  three 
men  sat  spellbound  as  they  listened  to  her 
dramatic  recital.  They  were  thrilled  by  that 
climax  when  in  the  desolate  hut  the  physician 
at  last  made  his  full  confession  to  the  girl. 

As  Ethel  came  to  the  end  of  her  accoimt, 
Van  Dusen  addressed  Roy  with  a  note  of  self- 
gratulation  in  his  voice. 

''Now,  what  do  you  think,  Roy  Morton? 
You  remember  that  night  on  The  Hialdo 
when  I  gave  you  my  opinion  of  this  affair? 
You  remember,  I  said  that  such  cases  are 
rare,  but  that  in  the  end  we  should  find  this 
whole  affair  to  be  the  work  of  a  drug-crazed 
man,  dominated  by  a  fixed  idea — that  he 
must  steal  this  young  lady  away,  and,  by 
force  if  necessary,  make  her  a  sharer  with  him 
in  a  drug  orgy.  I  told  you,  too,  that  I  did  not 
believe  her  life  or  person  in  any  danger  what- 
ever, unless  through  accident.  And  there's 
another  point:  This  Doctor  Garnet  should  go 


270         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

to  a  mad-house,  rather  than  to  prison  and  the 
electric  chair." 

The  day  was  drawing  to  a  close  now,  with 
the  sun  hardly  an  hour  high  above  the  trees 
that  lined  the  western  horizon.  Uncle  Icha- 
bod  declared  that  Garnet  should  have  sent 
help  long  before,  if  he  had  safely  reached 
Portsmouth.  The  fisherman  gave  it  as  his 
opinion  that  the  physician  must  have  met 
with  serious  trouble  on  the  way,  or  that  he 
must  have  deliberately  deserted  Miss  Marion. 
He  further  suggested  that  he  and  the  detective 
should  leave  Roy  and  Ethel  for  an  hour  or 
two,  in  order  to  search  along  the  shore  for  a 
possible  trace  of  the  missing  man.  But  he 
amended  this  plan  a  moment  later  by  advis- 
ing that  Roy  should  take  the  girl  in  the  skiff 
and  make  sail  for  the  yacht,  which  was 
vaguely  visible  at  anchor  some  miles  away. 
Afterward,  a  seaman  could  bring  the  skiff 
back  for  himself  and  Van  Dusen. 

This  proposal  met  with  ready  acceptance 
by  all  concerned.  The  lovers  embarked  and 
sailed  away  while  the  fisherman  and  the  de- 
tectives set  forth  on  their  scouting  expedition 
along  the  shore.    But  before  starting,  Ichabod 


THE  PARTING  CROW  271 

pulled  off  his  shoes  and  stockings  and  rolled 
up  his  trousers.  It  was  his  custom  to  go  bare- 
footed, and  he  had  no  mind  now  to  be  handi- 
capped in  the  long  tramp  by  the  foolishness 
of  footgear — suited  only  to  town  and  the  pres- 
ence of  Sarah  Porter. 

As  he  passed  among  the  dimes,  Captain 
Jones  heard  once  again  Shrimp's  lusty  crowing. 
He  whistled,  but  the  bird  remained  invisible, 
only  crowed  again,  with  a  note  that  soimded 
almost  derisive  in  the  ears  of  his  old  master. 

Ichabod  grieved  a  little  over  the  defection 
of  his  old  friend.  Then,  quickly,  his  mood 
lightened.  He  would  have  through  the  years 
to  come  a  companion  infinitely  more  desirable. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
The  Search  up  the  Shore 

IT  was  fairly  good  walking  up  the  shore, 
so  that  the  two  searchers  were  able  to 
make  excellent  progress  here.  Much  of 
the  way  the  waves  had  pounded  the  beach 
until  it  was  hard  and  level  as  a  floor.  But 
in  places  the  sand  was  strewn  with  quanti- 
ties of  sea  shells,  many  of  them  broken.  These 
troubled  Van  Dusen  a  little,  even  though  he 
wore  heavy-soled  shoes.  He  wondered  that 
the  barefooted  Ichabod  experienced  no  dis- 
comfort to  all  appearance.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  the  old  fisherman's  soles  were  homy, 
tough  as  any  leather. 

As  the  two  journeyed  on,  the  detective  grati- 
fied his  natural  curiosity  concerning  things 
rotind-about  by  questioning  his  companion. 
He   was   especially   interested   in   the   small 

bands  of  wild  ponies  that  appeared  from  time 

272 


THE  SEARCH  UP  THE  SHORE     273 

to  time.  These,  like  himself,  were  inqmsitive, 
and  often  would  stand  gazing  with  curious 
eyes,  until  the  men  were  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  them,  before  they  would  show  their 
heels  and  go  cantering  off  through  the  deep 
sand. 

Ichabod,  though  he  answered  at  length  all 
the  questions  put  to  him  by  the  detective, 
kept  up  a  train  of  thinking  apart.  He 
showed  the  results  of  it  presently  when  he 
spoke. 

"Do  ye  know,  Mr.  Detective,"  he  began, 
"I've  been  a-thinkin'  a  whole  week  'bout  that 
poor  cuss  what  me  an'  you  are  a-tryin'  to 
run  down?  Do  ye  know,  from  what  that 
pretty  gal  says,  I  don't  say  as  how  that  feller 
orter  go  to  a  jail  house?  Thar's  a  heap  o* 
good  left  in  that  man  yit.  Jest  think  what 
he  done  out  thar  in  the  Soimd  a-savin'  o' 
the  kid!  That  wa'n't  the  act  o'  no  beast — 
not  by  a  damned  sight!" 

"Yes,  Captain,"  Van  Dusen  answered,  "I'll 
admit  that  was  not  the  act  of  a  beast.  But 
don't  you  think  that  a  man  becomes  worse 
than  a  beast  when  he  allows  the  craving  for 
drugs  to  destroy  mind  and  body  and  to  prompt 


274         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

him  to  acts  such  as  those  of  which  this  de- 
generate has  been  guilty?" 

"But,  Mr.  Detective/'  the  fisherman  ar-'% 
gued,  *'that  man  was  led  astray.  Seems  as 
if,  'cordin*  to  my  way  o'  thinkin',  this  case 
is  a  heap  like  that  o'  a  poor  gal  what's  led 
off  when  she's  yoimg.  It  don't  make  no  dif- 
ference what  happens  arterward.  The  folks, 
women  'specially,  won't  give  her  no  credit,  no 
matter  how  hard  she  tries  to  go  right.  They 
jest  naturally  kain't  see  no  good  in  her.  Ye 
see,  I  used  to  know  a  gal  like  that.  But  she 
was  smart.  She  up  an'  moved  clear  out  o' 
the  country,  an'  started  life  all  over  ag'in. 
It's  right-smart  hard  to  believe,  but,  sir, 
that  gal  married  a  preacher,  an'  worked  a  dum 
sight  harder  fer  God  than  a  heap  o'  the  ones 
that  she  up  and  left  behind  did!  Them  poor 
fools  are  still  a-talkin'  'bout  her.  Now,  Mr. 
Van  Dusen,  do  ye  exactly  have  to  arrest  Gar- 
net if  we  find  him?" 

''Well,"  the  detective  answered,  ''since  he's 
a  murderer  any  one  has  the  right  to  arrest 
him.  For  my  part,  I  have  no  right  to  take 
him  in  charge  for  the  other  things  he's  done. 
I  have  no  warrant,  an'  I'm  not  a  state  officer." 


THE  SEARCH  UP  THE  SHORE     275 

''What  I'm  afeard  of,"  Ichabcxi  went  on, 
"is  that  while  he's  a-sufferin'  so,  an*  so  full  o' 
remorse,  he'll  do  away  with  himself.  If  he 
don't  do  that  now,  I  'low  as  how  he's  a  ctired 
man.  It's  my  opinion  that  feller  will  never 
hit  the  dope  ag'in.  An'  if  he  don't,  he's  too 
valuable  a  man  to  lose.  If  we  come  up  with 
him,  let's  me  an'  you  see  if  we  can't  git  him 
to  do  what  that  kind-hearted  little  girl  wanted 
him  to — go  off  somewhars  imder  another  name 
an'  work  fer  his  feller  human  bein's,  an'  fer 
God.  A  man,  when  he  does  it  right,  is 
a-workin'  fer  Him  when  he  practices 
medicine!" 

Unaccustomed  emotion  vibrated  in  Van 
Dusen's  voice  as  he  replied : 

''Captain,  you  yourself  would  make  a  good 
one  to  work  for  the  Master.  You  have  a 
heart!  And,  in  my  profession,  I  find  many, 
both  men  and  women,  who  are  heartless.  I 
wotild  not  willingly  put  a  straw  in  the  way  of 
Garnet.  But,  just  the  same,  for  the  love  of 
God  and  man,  think  what  his  guilt  is." 

The  old  fisherman  wagged  his  head  m 
assent. 

"Yes,  I  admit  he  has  done  a  heap  o'  evil. 


276         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

But,  Mr.  Detective,  the  closin'  words  that 
man  said  to  Ethel  Marion  are  still  a-ringin'  in 
my  ears.  I  hain't  got  much  edicatin,  but 
I  can  repeat  'em  jest  like  she  said  the  Doctor 
said  'em.  Here  they  be :  *  My  only  hope  now 
is  to  rettim  you  safe  to  your  friends  an'  to 
do  my  utmost  to  explain  these  most  unbeliev- 
able circimistances.  I  care  nothing  fer  my 
own  future.  It  is  ruined,  an',  like  a  good 
patient,  I  am  ready  to  take  my  medicine.*" 

As  the  old  man  ended  his  quotation  from 
the  Doctor's  farewell  to  Ethel,  Van  Dusen 
suddenly  pointed  a  little  way  ahead. 

''Unless  I'm  greatly  mistaken,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "he  has  already  taken — or  been 
given — ^his  medicine.  That  looks  to  me 
like  a  yachtsman's  cap  down  there  on  the 
beach.  You  said  he  was  dressed  in  yachting 
costume." 

The  two  men  hurried  forward.  When  they 
reached  the  cap,  which  was  weighted^do^n 
with  a  shell,  the  detective  picked  it  up  and 
found  a  note  pinned  to  the  top  of  it.  Cap- 
tain Ichabod  glanced  about  him  with  appre- 
hension at  thought  of  the  tragedy  that  might 
have  occurred  here. 


Van  Dusen  unpinned  the  note,  opened  it  and  read  aloud. 


THE  SEARCH  UP  THE  SHORE     277 

Just  beyond  where  they  were  standing 
there  was  a  sort  of  false  inlet.  It  does  not 
show  as  an  inlet  upon  the  map.  Neverthe- 
less, at  times  it  allows  the  water  to  cut  clear 
across  the  Core  Banks.  Except  at  high  tide, 
it  is  shallow.  But  it  is  not  safe  for  fording 
by  those  who  do  not  know  the  way,  for  the 
bed  of  it  aboimds  in  treacherous  quicksands. 
It  was  indeed  at  this  point  that  Captain  Jones 
had  feared  lest  Garnet,  a  stranger,  might  meet 
with  disaster.  Now,  it  seemed  likely  that 
he  had. 

Van  Dusen  impinned  the  note,  opened  it, 
and  read  aloud: 

"To  the  World:  ' 

"I  hope  to  cross  this  unknown  channel  in  safety, 
for  the  sake  of  the  young  woman,  Ethel  Marion,  who 
is  piure  and  innocent.  I  have  spent  my  energies  in 
order  that  the  world  might  be  benefited.  But  in  zeal 
to  win  the  fame  for  myself  while  helping  others,  I  re- 
sorted to  drugs  to  give  me  a  capacity  for  strength  be- 
yond that  apportioned  to  me  by  my  Creator.  Let 
my  guilt  serve  as  a  warning  to  every  professional  man 
who  desires  to  be  of  service  to  his  fellows.  There  can 
be  no  gain  to  humanity  from  a  foUy  that  must  cost  him 
his  own  soul. 

"GiFFORD  Garnet." 


378         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

Ichabod  burst  forth  excitedly  as  the  read- 
ing ended. 

*'Thar,  now,  didn't  I  tell  ye  that  feller  was 
no  beast?  The  poor  man!  I  wonder  if  he 
did  get  over  all  right.  Maybe  he  has  jest 
really  destroyed  himself,  an*  meant  to,  but 
didn't  want  folks  to  think  he  was  that  kind  o* 
a  coward.'' 

Van  Dusen  shook  his  head. 

"No,  I  don't  believe  he  meant  to  kill  him- 
self. I  believe  he  meant  to  try  his  best  to 
cross,  but  feared  he  might  be  swept  away  and 
drowned." 

Ichabod  bade  the  detective  wait  while  he 
himself  shotdd  ford  the  inlet  in  order  to  look 
for  tracks  in  the  sand  on  the  further  side.  He 
reached  the  opposite  shore  safely,  and  there 
moved  to  and  fro  along  the  water's  edge  for  a 
time,  apparently  making  a  close  search.  Van 
Dusen  awaited  a  signal,  but  there  was  none. 
At  last,  Ichabod  reentered  the  water  and 
crossed  to  where  the  detective  awaited  him. 
In  answer  to  the  mute  inquiry  of  his  com- 
panion's gaze.  Captain  Jones  shook  his  head 
sadly  as  he  spoke. 

*'Mr.  Van  Dusen,  thar  hain't  a  doubt  in 


THE  SEARCH  UP  THE  SHORE     279 

my  mind  but  that  God  A 'mighty  will  be 
mighty  easy  with  that  feller  at  the  judgment 
seat.'* 

The  two  slowly  retraced  their  steps  toward 
the  cabin.  The  detective  purposely  lagged  a 
little.  He  wished  to  save  his  companion 
from  over-exertion.  He  had  never  hitherto 
seen  a  man  of  such  advanced  age  endure  so 
much  strenuous  physical  activity,  and  he 
feared  that  it  might  bring  ill  consequences. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  of  the  two,  Ichabod  prob- 
ably felt  less  fatigued. 

It  was  dark  by  the  time  they  reached  the 
landing.  A  sailor  from  the  yacht  was  in 
waiting  for  them  with  a  motor-equipped 
tender,  similar  to  that  of  The  Isabel.  The 
man  had  already  made  his  painter  fast  to  the 
disabled  boat,  ready  for  towing  it  back  to  the 
yacht.  Very  quickly,  the  detective  and  fish- 
erman were  aboard,  and  the  little  boat  was 
chugging  sturdily  toward  The  Hialdo.  Van 
Dusen  reflected,  almost  with  a  sigh  of  regret, 
that  his  work  was  practically  at  an  end. 
There  remained  only  to  make  a  report  to  the 
Collector  of  the  Port  and  the  Justice  of  the 
Peace  at  Beaufort.     He  would  exhibit  to  them 


280         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

the  cap  and  the  accompanying  note,  and  thus 
the  case  would  be  done  with.  The  evidence 
would  eliminate  Doctor  Garnet  from  fiirther 
consideration. 

Ichabod  regarded  the  detective  as  a  man  of 
extraordinary  experience  and  ability.  He  pro- 
posed to  avail  himself  of  the  wisdom  here 
ready  to  his  need. 

''Mr.  Van  Dusen,"  he  demanded  suddenly, 
''air  ye  a  fambly  man?  " 

"I  suppose,"  was  the  answer,  given  with  a 
smile,  "you  mean  by  that,  am  I  so  lucky  as 
to  have  a  wife  and  children." 

''That's  it!"  Ichabod  agreed. 

"No,  my  friend,  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I 
am  not.  I  suspect  I'm  one  of  those  fellows 
that  will  keep  putting  it  off  until  it's  too  late. 
But,  why  do  you  ask?" 

"I  reckon  the  reason  is,"  the  old  man  said 
very  solemnly,  "cause  I'm  goin'  to  be,  my- 
self, an'  that  right  soon.  An'  I  thought  if 
ye  was,  ye  might  be  able  to  give  me  a  little 
advice  'bout  the  pre-nuptals,  as  Sarey  calls 
'em.  She  mentioned  it,  an',  to  tell  ye  the 
truth,  I  didn't  know  the  meanin'  o'  the  re- 
mark.    Is  it  something  pertainin'  to  weddin' 


THE  SEARCH  UP  THE  SHORE     281 

frocks  an'  things,  or  air  ye  like  me,  igomant? 
She  said,  jest  before  I  left,  that  it'd  take  a 
little  time  for  the  pre-nuptals,  an'  since  I 
ag'in  realized  how  unsartin  life  is,  I  sorter 
thought  I'd  like  to  have  it  over  with  to- 
morrer." 

Van  Dusen  smiled. 

''I  don't  think  you  need  to  worry,  Captain 
Ichabod,"  he  declared  soothingly.  "I  think 
the  pre-nuptials  will  be  satisfactorily  adjusted 
by  you  without  any  trouble.  All  you  need 
to  do  is  to  walk  up  to  your  girl  to-morrow, 
and  wave  before  her  the  five-thousand-dollar 
check  Roy  Morton's  going  to  give  you  as  your 
reward.  So  long  as  you  have  the  v/herewithal 
for  the  post-nuptials  you  don't  need  to  worry 
about  the  pre-.  Then  you  might  tell  her 
that  there's  a  fine  yacht  all  ready  to  take  the 
two  of  you  north  for  a  honeymoon  trip.'* 

Van  Dusen  dropped  his  bantering  tone  and 
spoke  with  great  cordiality. 

"Leaving  all  joking  aside,  Captain,  here  is 
a  splendid  chance  for  you.  I'll  take  you  and 
your  bride  all  the  way  to  New  York,  or  I'U 
drop  you  at  any  port  you  like  between.  I 
know  that  Roy  and  Miss  Marion  will  be  de- 


282         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

lighted  by  this  chance  to  get  better  acquainted 
with  the  man  who  made  their  reunion  pos- 
sible.    They  owe  everything  to  you/* 

**Yes,"  Ichabod  retorted;  "an'  I  owe  them 
a  heap,  too.  It's  that  girl  that  started  the 
whole  change  in  my  way  o'  thinkin'.  She 
caused  me  to  decide  to  take  on  a  fambly  an* 
happiness.  I  don't  much  like  what  ye  says 
'bout  that-thar  five  thousand,  though.  Ye 
see,  we  folks  down  this  way  don't  go  round 
savin'  lives  fer  pay — ^that  is  'ceptin'  the  coast- 
guard boys.  What  we  does  is  fer  the  feelin's 
that  possess  us.  Why,  do  ye  know,  if  thar's 
airy  man  in  Cartaret  that  I  didn't  think'd 
do  what  I  did,  an'  more,  in  this  scrape,  I'd 
head  a  passel  o'  men  to  run  him  clean  into 
the  swamps  fer  keeps!" 

''It's  a  legally  posted  reward  offered  for 
the  discovery  of  Ethel  Marion,"  Van  Dusen 
explained,  ''and  there  is  no  question  as  to  its 
being  rightfully  yours.  You  need  have  no 
scruple  about  taking  it.  But  Roy  and  his 
sweetheart  will  convince  you  as  to  that,  even 
if  I  can't." 

Ichabod  appeared  dubious  for  the  moment. 
Then  his  face  wrinkled  in  a  grin,  for  he  had 


THE  SEARCH  UP  THE  SHORE     283 

found  a  method  whereby  to  satisfy  his  con- 
science in  the  matter. 

''Wall/'  he  declared  judicially,  "I  has  lost 
consider 'ble  time  from  my  fishin'/'  Then 
his  enthusiasm  overcame  his  air  of  reticence. 
"Whoopee!  Five-thousand  dollars!  I  cal'- 
late  that  sure  will  cut  out  them  pre-nuptals — 
whatever  they  be.** 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
A  Gentleman's  Promise 

ROY  and  Ethel  stood  by  the  rail  on  the 
yacht's  deck  as  the  tender  drew  along- 
side. They  were  filled  with  anxiety 
over  the  results  of  the  search  upon  the  shore. 
Dismay  touched  them  when  they  saw  the 
cap  that  Van  Dusen  carried  in  his  hand  as 
they  stepped  forward.  Ethel's  cheek  blanched, 
but  she  asked  no  question ;  only  stood  waiting 
while  the  detective  stepped  aside  with  Roy 
and  gave  him  Garnet's  note.  The  young  man 
hastily  read  the  message.  For  a  moment,  he 
mused  as  if  in  doubt  concerning  its  signifi- 
cance ;  then  he  asked : 

'*  Do  you  think  that  he  made  the  crossing  in 
safety?" 

*'I  think  not,"  was  the  reply.     "Captain 

Ichabod  went  through   the  channel  to  the 

other  side.     He  looked  everywhere  for  signs 

of  Garnet's  having  continued  on  up  the  beach, 

284 


A  GENTLEMAN'S  PROMISE        285 

but  the  search  was  fruitless.  I  have  an  idea 
that  the  Doctor,  in  his  weakened  condition, 
was  unable  to  breast  the  tide,  and  so  was  car- 
ried out  to  sea.  To  my  mind,  it  seems,  per- 
haps, the  best  ending  for  that  drug-crazed 
man.  At  the  same  time,  I  confess  Tm  heart- 
ily sorry  for  the  fellow.  Had  there  been  any 
way  to  get  him  clear  of  the  charges  it  would 
have  been  necessary  for  him  to  face,  I  for  one 
would  have  been  willing  to  go  to  any  length 
to  save  him,  to  get  him  away  to  some  place 
where  he  was  not  known  and  could  begin  life 
anew.'* 

Roy  showed  the  note  to  Ethel,  and  ex- 
plained how  the  evidence  seemed  to  indicate 
that  the  physician  was  dead.  The  girl  lis- 
tened quietly,  but  when  her  lover  had  made 
an  end,  she  turned  quickly  and  went  away  to 
her  stateroom,  to  be  alone  with  her  grief. 

Dining  Ethel's  absence  the  yacht  was  got 
tinder  way  for  Beaufort.  Van  Dusen  and  Ich- 
abod  restored  their  energies  by  a  hearty  meal. 
By  the  time  the  moon  had  risen,  the  party  of 
four  were  gathered  aft,  talking  together 
quietly,  and  enjoying  the  beauties  in  the 
panorama  of  sea  and  shore  and  sky  unfolded 


286        WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

by  the  yacht's  progress.  There  was  rapture 
in  the  hearts  of  both  lovers  in  this  reunion 
after  so  great  trials.  Each  of  them  had 
sailed  over  these  waters  in  an  agony  of  grief 
and  fear  while  they  were  separated  from  each 
other.  Now,  they  were  once  again  together. 
The  fear  and  the  peril  were  things  of  the  past. 
For  the  present,  there  was  only  joy,  a  joy 
that  would  endure  for  the  days  to  come. 

Van  Dusen  explained  to  the  others  how  he 
had  extended  an  invitation  to  Ichabod  to 
make  use  of  the  yacht  for  his  honeymoon- 
trip.  Ethel  was  astonished  and  delighted  to 
learn  of  the  old  fisherman's  romance  and  his 
intended  bridal  on  the  morrow. 

''But,  do  you  know,''  she  exclaimed  with  a 
smile,  to  Captain  Jones,  "  I  supposed,  of  course, 
you  were  married,  and  had  grandchildren?" 

''Not  me!"  the  old  man  answered,  im- 
abashed,     "But  I  do  aim  to!" 

Van  Dusen  further  explained  that  the  only 
thing  now  wanting  was  the  consent  of  the 
bride  herself  to  the  plans.  He  then  spoke 
again  of  the  reward  to  be  paid  to  Ichabod. 
Roy  declared  that  this  should  be  made  out 
immediately.     Once  again,  Captain  Icky  pro- 


A  GENTLEMAN'S  PROMISE        287 

tested  against  the  payment,  but  without  much 
heart  in  his  objections,  and  finally,  after 
mumbling  something  as  to  the  time  lost  from 
his  fishing,  he  consented  to  receive  the  amount. 
But  on  a  condition.  He  stipulated  that  the 
check  should  be  made  out  to  Sarah  Porter,  and 
that  in  the  left-hand  comer  there  should  be 
written  the  words: 

'*  In  lieu  of  all  other  pre-nuptals," 

The  fisherman  gave  it  as  his  positive  opin- 
ion that  this  would  clinch  the  matter  for  the 
following  day. 

'* Anyhow,"  he  added  grimly,  ''if  it  don't, 
ril  be  dogged  if  she  gits  it ! " 

When  the  yacht  reached  Beaufort,  the  party 
went  ashore,  for  it  had  been  decided  that 
Ethel  should  be  cared  for  at  the  Inlet  Hotel, 
where,  if  need  be,  she  might  prove  of  service 
in  persuading  Sarah  into  meeting  the  ardent 
Ichabod's  wishes. 

The  hostess  greeted  the  girl  warmly,  and 
fussed  over  her  with  a  maternal  solicitude 
that  promised  well  for  the  fisherman*s  hopes 
in  the  matter  of  grandchildren.  Then,  when 
she  had  seen  her  guest  comfortably  installed, 
Sarah  returned  to  the  porch,  where  Ichabod, 


288         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

armed  with  the  check,  was  anxiously  awaiting 
her. 

"Oh/'  she  exclaimed  tenderly,  ''I*m  so 
glad  you  have  returned  safely!  IVe  really 
worried  about  you.  I  was  afraid  that  dread- 
ful man  might  do  something  terrible  if  you 
came  upon  him  unexpectedly." 

"No,  sir,"  was  the  spirited  retort;  "there 
ain't  nothin'  kin  git  me  now  but  you!" 

The  gallant  remark  so  pleased  the  spinster 
that  she  patted  his  hand  affectionately,  as 
they  sat  down  side  by  side  on  a  porch 
settee. 

Ichabod  braced  himself  for  the  encounter. 
He  felt  that  there  was  to  be  no  shilly-shally 
now.  Moreover,  his  backbone  was  amazingly 
stiffened  by  the  five-thousand-dollar  check. 
He  meant  business!  Besides,  it  would  never 
do  to  disappoint  his  new  friends.  He  was 
going  to  make  that  honeymoon-trip,  or 
"bust!" 

"Sarah,"  he  began,  "do  ye  remember  as 
how  in  the  old  days  I  was  always  said  to  be  a 
man  o'  very  few  words?" 

"Why,  yes,  Ichabod,"  Sarah  agreed — per- 
haps a  little  doubtful,  "come  to  think  about 


A  GENTLEMAN'S  PROlVnSE        589 

it  I  believe  you  were.  But  what's  agitating  of 
you  to-night?  There  seems  to  be  something 
heavy-Hke  on  yoiir  mind.'* 

"Thar  is,  Sary — somethin'  mighty  big  an' 
I  reckin  as  how  you'll  think  it  sudden.  But 
that's  the  only  way  to  do — ^jest  speak  right 
plumb  out  an'  have  it  over." 

His  hearer  paled  slightly.  She  had  a  horrid 
suspicion  that  her  lover  had  backslidden,  that 
he  meant  to  return  to  his  hermit  life  on  the 
Island,  and  was  here  now  to  jilt  her. 

**0f  course,  ye  understand  that  me  an'  you 
are  promised  to  wed?"  Ichabod  went  on. 

*'Yes,"  came  the  faltered  response. 

**Wall,  thar  ain't  but  one  thing  now  as  I 
see  it  that  is  a-standin'  in  the  way,  an'  that 
is  them-thar  pre-nuptals  you  mentioned  when 
I  wanted  to  hurry  things  a  leetle.  Now, 
what  I'm  a-comin'  to  is  this:  I'm  mighty  well 
aware  that  them  things  takes  time  an'  costs 
money.  In  lieu  o'  them  as  the  lawyers  say 
I'm  servin'  ye  with  this" — he  extended  the 
check — ''an'  we'll  fix  the  hull  thing  up  in  the 
momin',  an'  sail  no'th  in  the  evenin'  on  my 
New  York  friend's  yacht,  for  our  after-nuptals. 
But,  consam  ye!  thar's  jest  one  other  con- 


290         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

dition:  Sure  as  shootin*,  ye'll  have  to  pay  our 
way  back!" 

Sarah  took  the  check  to  the  light.  She 
gasped  as  she  read  the  four  figures.  There 
was  awe  in  her  voice  as  she  pronounced  the 
words  aloud: 

'  *  Five-thousand  dollars !  * ' 

Then,  after  a  moment,  she  questioned  seri- 
ously : 

"Ichabod,  are  ye  goin'  to  build  the  addition 
on  the  hotel  besides?" 

The  old  fisherman  nodded  emphatically. 

*'That,"  he  stoutly  declared,  ''was  a  gen- 
tleman's promise!" 

Sarah  capitulated. 

''Ichabod  Jones,  I  ought  to  call  you  a 
triflin'  rascal  for  starting  in  to  scare  me  like 
youVe  done.  Anyhow,  I  jest  can't  make  it 
earlier  than  eleven-thirty.     Will  that  do?" 

The  fisherman's  reply  was  to  take  Sarah 
in  his  arms.  Roy  and  Van  Dusen  in  the 
hotel  lobby  hailed  the  smack  that  followed 
as  a  signal  of  the  wooer's  success. 


CHAPTER  XXV 
Doing  His  Bit 

ICHABOD  saw  Ethel  come  out  on  the 
porch  and  take  a  seat  at  the  far  end. 
He  somewhat  hastily  released  Sarah 
from  his  arms,  with  the  explanation  that  he 
ought  to  leave  her  free  to  m^ake  her  prepara- 
tions for  the  wedding.  The  spinster,  blush- 
ing with  happiness  and  excitement,  hurried 
to  busy  herself  with  making  ready  for  her 
new  state  of  full  womanhood.  Just  as  Roy 
reached  Ethel's  side,  Ichabod  joined  the  two 
with  the  glad  tidings  of  his  sweetheart's  ac- 
ceptance of  the  "pre-nuptals.**  The  fisher- 
man's apprehensions  concerning  too  much 
publicity  for  the  wedding  ceremony  led  him 
rather  shyly  to  suggest  that  it  should  take 
place  on  board  The  Hialdo,  away  from  the 
prying  eyes  of  the  townsfolk.     He  explained 

that  he  didn't  know  which  would  be  worse — 

291 


29«         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

the  small  boys,  or  the  older  devils,  or  the 
cacklin'  hens. 

Immediately  after  the  bank  opened  next 
morning,  the  cashier  readjusted  his  enormous 
bone-rimmed  spectacles  in  order  to  study  a 
check  presented  for  deposit  by  Miss  Sarah 
Porter.  Then  he  espied  the  phrase  concern- 
ing ''pre-nuptals''  in  the  upper  left-hand 
comer,  and  that  was  sufficient,  for  he  was  a 
man  of  shrewdness.  He  passed  the  news 
along  to  every  person  that  appeared  before 
his  wicket.  In  less  than  half  an  hour,  the 
whole  town  was  agog  over  the  astounding 
intelligence  that  the  old  maid,  Sarah  Porter, 
was  engaged  to  be  married.  There  remained 
the  mystery  as  to  the  identity  of  the  bride- 
groom. But  this  was  speedily  cleared  up  by 
the  genial  Doctor  Hudson,  who  made  no 
scruples  of  advertising  his  old  friend's  happi- 
ness. The  result  was  that  by  the  time  set 
for  the  ceremony,  the  whole  town  was  out, 
waiting  in  eager  anticipation.  It  was  indeed 
a  season  of  great  excitement.  Here  was  an 
opportunity  to  celebrate  an  event  that  was 
at  once  amazing,  romantic  and  historic. 
Captain  Ichabod  had  been  known  by  them 


DOING  HIS  BIT  293 

for  twenty  years  as  an  inveterate  woman- 
hater.  During  that  same  score  of  years,  as 
her  friends  could  testify,  Sarah  Porter  had 
refused  no  less  than  seven  excellent  offers  of 
marriage.  Now,  these  two  were  to  marry. 
The  citizens,  with  one  accord,  marveled  and 
rejoiced. 

Yet,  no  one  criticized  the  match.  The 
two  were  universally  liked  and  respected. 
While  the  townsfolk  wondered  and  smiled 
they  did  not  jeer.  But  they  were  resolved 
to  make  a  demonstration  of  their  apprecia- 
tion. They  meant  to  give  the  wedded  pair 
a  ''send  off"  to  be  remembered. 

Sarah,  assisted  by  three  of  her  closest 
friends,  passed  the  whole  night  in  making 
ready  for  the  momentous  occasion.  By  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  her  trunk  was  safely 
aboard  the  yacht.  Immediately  after  her 
return  from  the  bank.  Captain  Jones  escorted 
her  aboard  The  Hialdo — before  the  towns- 
people had  any  suspicion  of  what  was  going 
on.  They  were  quickly  followed  by  Doctor 
Hudson  and  the  clergyman.  Van  Dusen 
bustled  in  after  them,  having  finished  the 
paying  off  of  the  chartered  boats. 


294         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

The  ceremony  was  duly  performed.  A 
woman's  dream  of  years  at  last  became 
reality. 

Van  Dusen  suggested  that  the  newly  wedded 
pair  shotdd  go  ashore  to  receive  the  congrat- 
ulations of  the  crowd  that  now  thronged  the 
water  front.  But  Ichabod,  having  in  mind 
pestiferous  small  boys,  steadfastly  refused  any 
such  exhibition  of  himself  and  his  bride.  His 
opinion  of  them  would  have  been  confirmed 
could  he  have  overheard  their  questioning  of 
Doctor  Hudson,  which  was:  Had  he  exam- 
ined their  teeth  to  see  how  old  they  were? 

Nevertheless,  the  townsfolk,  though  they 
got  no  sight  of  the  principals  in  the  affair, 
cheered  with  a  lusty  good-will.  And,  too, 
they  dragged  a  cannon  down  to  the  shore, 
where  the  gtmner  fired  a  salute  of  twenty-one 
thunderous  explosions.  The  Collector  of  the 
Port,  who  alone  knew  that  this  was  an  honor 
reserved  for  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
inquired  curiously  why  this  exact  number  was 
chosen.  The  gunner  replied  seriously  that  it 
represented  the  bride's  age. 

At  Uncle  Icky's  request,  the  yacht  sailed 
first  for  the  coast-guard  station.    Here,  be 


DOING  HIS  BIT  295 

had  no  hesitation  in  proclaiming  his  new  state 
and  in  receiving  the  congratulations  of  his 
friends — for  there  were  no  small  boys  to 
trouble.  He  explained  the  whereabouts  of 
Shrimp  and  the  hens,  with  a  request  that 
they  should  be  rescued  from  the  barren  stretch 
of  sand.  The  coast-guard  men  promised 
that  the  little  flock  should  receive  a  home  at 
the  station  itself.  Thus,  the  old  fisherman's 
last  concern  with  the  old  life  was  happily 
ended.  In  a  moment  apart,  he  made  a  final 
entry  in  the  diary. 

**  Through  with  Shrimp  and  the  shack,  by 
heck!     My  weddin'-day!     Hooray!" 

It  was  owing  to  a  request  by  Ethel  to  Van 
Dusen  that  the  yacht's  course  was  to  Ports- 
mouth that  night.  Early  next  morning,  be- 
fore the  others  were  stirring.  Captain  Ichabod 
rowed  Ethel  in  a  small  boat  from  The  Hialdo's 
anchorage  to  the  town.  They  were  absent 
for  a  fiill  three  hours.  On  her  return,  Ethel 
spoke  with  enthusiasm  of  the  town's  quaint 
charm,  but  she  gave  no  details  of  her  visit 
there,  not  even  to  Roy.  The  old  fisherman 
said  nothing  at  all  of  the  trip,  not  even  to 
Sarah  Jones, 


296        WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

The  wedded  pair,  though  urged  to  prolong 

their  stay  on  the  yacht,  insisted  on  leaving 

when    The   Hialdo   reached    Norfolk.     They 

took  with  them  a  promise  from  their  new 

friends  to  come  south  again  in  order  to  attend 

the  opening  of  the  new  Inlet  Hotel. 

•  ••••* 

Colonel  Marion  was  appointed  to  head  a 
mission  to  France  for  study  on  the  war- 
methods  there.  On  his  return  to  New  York 
from  Texas,  he  urged  Ethel's  immediate  mar- 
riage, before  his  sailing.  Naturally,  there  was 
no  objection  on  the  part  of  the  lovers,  and  the 
father  was  able  to  depart  tranquil  in  the 
assurance  that  his  daughter  would  be  safe 
in  her  husband's  care. 

One  morning  a  few  months  later,  as  Roy 
and  Ethel  sat  at  breakfast,  the  servant  brought 
him  a  letter  with  a  Paris  postmark,  which  was 
addressed  in  the  familiar  hand  of  Colonel 
Marion.  Somewhat  surprised  that  the  letter 
should  be  to  him  rather  than  to  Ethel,  Roy 
opened  it  and  read: 

*'Dear  Roy: 

"Just  a  few  lines  to  give  you  the  surprise  of  your  life. 
I  have  found  that  o\X£  old  friend,  Doctor  Garnet,  was 


DOING  HIS  BIT  297 

not  lost  in  the  quicksands,  as  you  supposed.  On  the 
contrary,  he  is  here  in  France,  doing  noble,  wonderful 
work  in  the  branch  of  his  profession  that  he  always 
loved — surgery.  I  understand  that  he  has  been  dec- 
orated several  times.  And  also,  strange  to  say,  he  is 
going  under  his  own  name.  I  am  sending  this  news 
to  you  instead  of  to  Ethel  direct,  because  I  feared  the 
effect  of  a  sudden  shock  on  her.  You  can  break  the 
information  to  her  gently. 
"With  love  to  the  dear  girl, 

"Your  father, 

"Stephen  Marion." 

Roy  had  little  alarm  lest  his  wife  shotdd 
suffer  any  ill  effect  frora  what  she  would  re- 
gard as  the  best  of  news. 

"My  dear,"  he  asked  at  once,  "would  you 
be  greatly  surprised  to  get  authentic  informa- 
tion that  Gifford  Garnet  is  alive  and  doing 
wonders  in  h!s  profession  of  surgery?  Would 
you  believe  it,  if  I  should  tell  you  that  he  has 
been  several  times  decorated  for  his  services 
on  the  battle  front  in  France?" 

To  his  astonishment,  Ethel  showed  no  ex- 
traordinary excitement,  though  her  face  grew 
radiant. 

"No,  Roy,"  she  replied,  "I  should  not  be 
surprised,  but  I  should  be  very  glad!" 


298         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

**  Your  answer  sounds  strange  to  me/'  Roy 
declared,  with  a  puzzled  glance  across  the 
table.  "Anyhow,  you  are  calm  enough  so 
that  I  don't  need  to  hesitate  in  telling  you 
that  your  father's  letter  to  me  actually  con- 
tains this  astonishing  news." 

''Thank  God,  Roy!"  Ethel  said  reverently. 
"  The  madman  has  become  sane  again.  Thank 
God,  he  did  obey  my  sealed  orders." 

Roy  stared  at  his  wife  in  open  bewilder- 
ment. 

"What  on  earth  do  you  mean,  Ethel?"  he 
demanded.  "Have  you  been  keeping  some- 
thing from  me?" 

"Yes,  my  dear  husband,  I've  been  guilty  of 
just  that  thing.  I've  just  been  waiting  and 
praying  for  the  hour  when  I  could  come  to 
you  and  give  you  the  very  information  that 
father  has  been  able  to  send  you.  I'll  tell  you 
the  whole  story.  But,  first,  I  must  exact  a 
promise.  For  Ichabod's  sake,  as  well  as  my 
own,  you  must  not  breathe  a  word  of  the 
truth  to  Arthiu*  Van  Dusen." 

Still  mightily  wondering  as  to  the  meaning 
of  all  this  myster^r  and  eager  for  its  solution, 
Roy  readily  gave  the  reqviired  promise  that 


DOING  fflS  BIT  299 

he  would  keep  Ethel's  secret.  Thereupon  she 
told  him  the  story. 

''The  night  Arthur  and  poor  old  Ichabod 
returned  to  us  aboard  The  Hialdo  with  the 
Doctor's  cap  and  note,  I  believed  as  firmly 
as  you  did  that  the  unfortunate  man  had  been 
swallowed  up  in  the  quicksands,  or  swept 
away  to  death  by  the  tide.  At  the  time  when 
he  left  me  alone  in  the  shack  in  order  to  go 
for  help,  I  would  not  let  him  go  imtil  he  had 
agreed  to  carry  with  him  sealed  orders  under 
which  he  should  act.  I  wrote  these  and  gave 
them  to  him,  and  he  promised  to  follow  my 
instructions.  They  were  for  his  future  guid- 
ance. I  believed  that,  if  he  followed  them, 
he  would  not  only  escape  punishment,  but 
reform  so  as  to  be  of  service  once  more  to  the 
world.  Naturally,  when  help  did  not  arrive 
from  Portsmouth,  I  concluded  that  his  strength 
had  not  been  sufficient  for  the  task,  that  he 
had  perished.  So,  I  was  not  surprised  by  the 
news  brought  to  the  yacht  by  the  men  who 
had  been  searching  for  him. 

''That  morning  when  I  visited  Portsmouth, 
Roy  dear,  I  had  two  objects  in  view.  One  was 
to  verify  the  fact  that  Doctor  Garnet  had  not 


300        WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

reached  the  town.  The  other  was  to  visit 
the  young  physician  whom  I  knew  to  be  lo- 
cated there,  in  order  to  arrange  with  him  to 
care  for  the  afflicted  man  in  case  he  should 
arrive  l^er  on.  As  I  was  about  to  leave  the 
yacht,  early  in  the  morning.  Captain  Icha- 
bod  appeared." 

i"  Ethel's  gravity  vanished  for  a  moment. 
Her  lustrous  eyes  narrowed  and  twinkled. 
She  smiled  until  the  dimples  in  her  cheeks 
were  shadows  against  the  rose. 

*^I  suppose  he  stole  away  from  the  fond 
Sarah  while  she  was  asleep.  He  never  cotild 
have  managed  it  had  she  been  awake.**  She 
became  serious  again,  and  Roy,  whose  mouth 
had  widened  in  an  appreciative  grin,  again 
listened  with  sober  attention. 

''Captain  Ichabod  had  a  confession  to  make 
to  me.  That  confession  was  vastly  more  of  a 
surprise  to  me,  as  you  will  soon  understand, 
than  this  news  in  father's  letter.  The  old  fel- 
low first  swore  me  to  secrecy.  Then  he  out  and 
told  me,  not  without  a  certain  exultation  at  his 
shrewdness,  that  he  had  put  one  over  on  the 
greatest  detective  in  America,  Arthur  Van 
Dusen.    He   explained   that   when   he   and 


DOING  HIS  BIT  301 

Arthur  reached  the  false  inlet  where  they 
found  the  cap  and  note,  he  believed  that  Doc- 
tor Garnet  had  crossed  in  safety,  for  the  chan- 
nel was  by  no  means  so  dangerous  as  he  rep- 
resented to  the  detective.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  he  hoped  and  expected  to  find  the  Doc- 
tor's tracks  on  the  other  side,  and  he  did  so 
alhough  he  concealed  the  knowledge  of  their 
existence  from  Van  Dusen.  Ichabod  went 
on  to  tell  me  that  he  was  moved  to  sympathy 
in  Doctor  Gamet*s  behalf,  that  he  believed 
the  man  would  reform,  would  be  of  use  to  the 
world,  that  he  was  worth  saving  from  the  law's 
ptmishment  for  offenses  inspired  by  a  drug- 
maddened  brain.  He  insisted  that  he  told 
no  lie  to  Arthur — only  allowed  the  world's 
greatest  detective  to  draw  a  few  wrong  con- 
clusions from  his  vague  remarks  and  the 
melancholy  expression  on  his  face  when  he 
rettirned  after  crossing  the  inlet  to  look  for 
tracks. 

**  Right  then  and  there,  that  old  fisherman 
and  I  formed  a  partnership.  We  decided 
that  we  would  locate  our  man,  save  him 
from  capture,  and  have  him  restored  to  the 
normal.    This  would  be  comparatively  easy 


302         WHEN  THE  COCK  CROWS 

since  the  authorities  believed  him  to  be  dead. 
We  would  demand  in  return  that  he  should 
go  to  France,  there  to  serve  those  sufferers  on 
the  battlefield  who  might  have  need  of  him. 

''Ichabod  preferred  to  remain  behind,  when 
I  went  to  the  physician's  house.  There  I 
found  that  Doctor  Garnet  had  in  fact  been 
received  by  the  yotmg  doctor,  who  had  taken 
him  in  and  cared  for  him — proud  indeed  to 
do  so,  since  he  knew  his  patient's  reputation 
and  held  him  in  veneration  for  his  skill.  The 
younger  doctor  readily  entered  into  a  con- 
spiracy with  me  when  he  had  heard  my 
story.  I  had  an  interview  with  Doctor  Gar- 
net. He  accepted  my  proposition  fully.  He 
was  glad  of  a  chance  to  expiate  his  follies.  He 
swore  to  me  that  never  again  would  he  take  a 
grain  of  the  drug.  At  his  request,  I  brought 
Ichabod  to  his  bedside,  and  he  thanked  the 
old  man  warmly  for  all  that  he  had  done  both 
for  himself  and  for  me,  his  victim.  I  offered 
him  funds  for  the  trip  abroad,  but  he  told 
me  that  he  was  well  supplied  with  money. 
He  told  me  also  that  he  had  come  in  a  small 
sail-boat  to  carry  me  away  from  the  shack, 
but  had  seen  on  approaching  that  his  services 


DOING  HIS  BIT  303 

were  no  longer  needed,  so  had  rettimed  whence 
he  came.  .  .  .  From  that  day  until  now,  I 
have  had  no  word  of  the  man.  Yet,  I  felt 
that  he  had  kept  his  promise." 

"And  he  did— nobly!"  Roy  said.  There 
was  a  new  admiration  in  the  glance  with 
which  he  regarded  his  wife,  who  had  accom- 
plished this  miracle  of  regeneration. 

Ethel  met  that  glance,  and  smiled  respon- 
sively. 

Once  again  she  dimpled,  as  she  spoke  half- 
seriously,  half-playfully. 

"Roy,  dear,  aren't  you  just  a  bit  proud  of 
your  wife  and  Uncle  Ichabod?  Between  us 
we  so  worked  it  out  that  my  kidnapping  was 
not  in  vain.  It  has  done  three  things:  First 
and  best,  it  hurried  our  marriage;  second,  it 
made  Captain  Jones  a  bridegroom  instead  of 
a  hermit;  third,  it  furnished  a  hero  for  the 
battlefields  of  France." 


END 


i 


